John Gilbert's daughter
by bibi 13ca
Summary: My first AU fic  so please be gentle . Elena gets kidnapped by vampires and she's in danger of falling in love with the one that took her away from her family and stole her freedom...
1. Chapter 1

**N: **_My first AU fic, so please go easy on me and please drop a so needed advice!_

_So the story is about a very powerful man's daughter (Elena) that get's kidnapped by a vampire, why… you are going to have to read the story to find out._

_Elena hates vampires, because she was raised like this, by her father._

_Werewolfs can transform whenever they want (not only on a full moon)._

_So, if you have any other question just go for it, I promise I will answer it! Enjoy the story!_

_A big, BIG fat THANK YOU, to my amazing beta, Zoraya Windwalker for her beautiful work on this chapter!_

**Meet the 'brat'!**

"Father, please, I want to go!"

"Elena I told you, you can go as long as you take Tyler with you."

"But I don't want to take him with me on girls night" Elena complained.

John took a deep breath and stepped closer to his daughter.

"Elena, I thought you understand by now. I'm a very powerful man, which means I have a lot of powerful enemies that will do anything to get to me. Since there is life no way they can get to me through my business life, they'll go for my personal life…and my personal life is _you. _

Elena looked at her father, he was right. She was always at risk and she hated it. She hated having a driver; she hated having a bodyguard that followed her everywhere like a lost puppy. She hated living in a house that looked more like a museum and having five chefs cooking her meals. She hated all that and she wished she was just a normal teenage girl. She had to beg and cry for months in order to talk her father into letting her go to a normal school instead of being home schooled.

"Fine, I'll go with Tyler since you give me no other choice."

"I'm glad."

"I'm going to go now, get ready" she said, and started walking towards the door.

"Would you tell Tyler I want to see him, please?"

"I will."

Elena got out, told Tyler that her dad wanted to see him and went to her room.

"Yes sir, did you ask for me?" Tyler asked.

"I did, I wanted to warn you. Elena is going out tonight with that Forbes girl… what's her name?"

"Caroline" Tyler answered.

"Yeah, that one, I want you to stay close to her; don't let her out of your sight!"

"Yes sir, anything else?"

"No, and Tyler, if anything happens to my daughter, I _will_ kill you" John said smiling, but Tyler knew he wasn't kidding. The last bodyguard she had went missing after he lost her in a supermarket.

"They have vampires working for them Tyler, I don't want those bloodsuckers inhaling my daughter's oxygen, got it?"

"Yes sir"

"Good, now go fetch Elena!" he ordered and Tyler exited.

Elena got out of her room quietly, happy that Tyler wasn't anywhere in sight. But once she got on top of the stairs, she saw him at the bottom.

"I was hoping you got lost…" Elena said, but Tyler's face remained expressionless.

She liked Tyler, he was quiet and polite, but the fact that he followed her everywhere was driving her crazy. He was the only one her father would trust to look after her, being a werewolf and all…

"Should I put you on a leash and take some dog bags with me?" she asked ironically.

Tyler didn't even bother answering. He knew her by now. He knew that this rude sarcasm and irony was her defense mechanism, her way to scare people off. He felt for the poor girl, always by herself but never alone…

"Do you want to drive?" he asked.

She loved to drive, but her father told her 'that's what drivers are for'. The only reason she even had been allowed to make her license, was because she had been able to convince him that it might be important at one point or the other.

"Yes, I'll drive, so you can stick your head out of the window. Keep your tongue inside your mouth, though!" she said in a sweet voice.

She got into the driver's seat of her beautiful, way too expensive yellow Lamborghini she got for her 18th birthday.

Once they were outside of the property, Elena opened the glove-compartment and got out a cigarette pack.

"You can't smoke; your father will kill me if I let you do this!"

"Then don't tell him and we're both safe! Oh and if you tell him, I'll tell him you bought them for me."

"You wouldn't!" he shouted. "Who's buying them for you anyway?"

"Matt."

"The Donavan kid, I thought he was a good guy?"

"_He_ is, I'm just a bad _girl_…" she said and lighted a cigarette.

They got to the club 15 minutes later. Tyler was just a step behind her.

"Could you at least let me breath!"

"You can breathe just fine…"

She stuck out her tongue at him and tried to walk inside, but the guard at the entrance stopped her.

"Excuse me Miss, I'm going to need your name!"

Elena watched him with disgust, "Who the hell are you?" she asked, "You know what, forget about it, you're not going to be here long enough for me to remember your name anyway!"

Another guard came from inside the club. He put his hand in the young man's shoulder and pulled him out of Elena's way.

"Let her in!" the man said, and then he looked at Elena, "I'm so sorry, he's new here."

"Yeah, I figured, just make sure he's not here next time I am!"

"Yes Miss, have a good night!"

"I'm planning on it, Alex."

As soon as she got in, Alex started shaking his colleague.

"Are you insane?"

"Who is she?" the boy asked confused.

"She's Elena fucking Gilbert, that's who she is!"

"As in John Gilbert's daughter?"

"The one and only…"

Elena got inside and immediately spotted Caroline ant their usual table. She took another look around and something, actually, make that _someone_ caught her attention. He was the sexiest man she's ever seen…his black hair was falling around his face in a beautiful mess…Elena was practically staring at him, her mouth opened and her eyes were ready to pop out of her head. She was already having shameful fantasies with him, when Caroline decided to block her view.

"What are you staring at?" she asked.

"There…the…there's a guy at the bar…" she turned around, "…Tyler, I want you to find out who he is!" she said.

"Who's who?" he asked.

"Are you deaf? The guy at the bar."

Caroline moved and turned to see the mysterious guy herself. He must've been really special to pick Elena Gilbert's curiosity.

"Hmm, that's Alaric Saltzman. He's not bad, but he's kind of old…"

"I wasn't talking about Saltzman." Elena said exasperated.

"Then whom are you talking about?"

"He's not there anymore…"

"How did he look like?" Tyler asked.

"Well, he was tall, but not too tall, he was in good shape, _very_ good…dark hair, a bit messy…leather jacket…"

"Thanks, that's helpful…you just described half of the guys in here."

"No, no, half of the guys in here didn't get my attention, he did."

"I get it Elena, but you have to give me more specific details."

"I…I can't. I didn't get a good look at him, Barbie here decided to get in my way." Elena said, giving Caroline a mad look. "He had that '_je sais pas quoi'_ look that got me staring. I don't know, just find him!"

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything."

"Tyler, Tyler, Tyler…I am not happy with this answer and you know how daddy doesn't like it when his little girl is not happy, so I suggest you do better than that."

"I promise I'll do my best."

"You do that before I come back from the lady's room"

She refused Caroline's company and made her way towards the bathroom.

Tyler followed her with his eyes until she disappeared behind the door, then he walked over to the bar.

**N: **_So, what do you guys think? I am so nervous waiting for your reviews…please take a minute and leave one! Suggestions and criticism is always welcome. Again, if you have questions, just go for it, I promise I will answer them! _


	2. Chapter 2

**N: **_Thank you all for each and every one of your reviews, you guys are awesome! _

_Special thanks to my wonderful beta Zoraya Windwalker for her amazing work!_

_Now, let's get to the second chapter, enjoy!_

**Do you know who I am?**

Elena got out of the bathroom and walked directly into the hard chest of a man in front of her; he seemed to have come out of nowhere. She raised her head to look at him and recognized the 'mystery man' from the bar. His amazing silver-blue eyes captivated her instantly. He smiled slightly at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey there" he said, his voice sounding just as good as he looked.

"Hi"

He took her hand into his and pushed her out of the way, in the corner near the emergency exit. His eyes were now fixed on hers.

"You will get out through the emergency exit and wait for me there, no questions asked!" he said.

"Excuse me?" She looked startled – and a little pissed, too; he just looked like someone hit him over the head, before his expression changed to an exasperated one.

"Fuck…fuck…I should've known…" he cursed.

He placed his hand on her lower back and pushed her forward. She tried to fight back but he was much stronger.

"Honey, you're a girl, do you really believe you're stronger than me?"

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

"Shut up, you're making a scene!"

"I'm Elena Gilbert" she said like that was supposed to scare him.

"I know who you are princess."

He started pushing her towards the exit.

"Let me go!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled, forcing her to face him, "Listen to me, brat, I suppose daddy dearest told you all about vampires…" he waited for her reaction. Once he saw the shocked expression on her face, he continued, "…well, I am one and I won't think twice before breaking your little neck if you don't do exactly as I say, do you understand?" he asked.

"My dad is going to kill you."

The guy rolled his eyes at her, "Look, you stubborn pain in the ass; daddy is not here right now and neither is your guarding dog I might add, so you _will_ do as I say" he managed to get out between gritted teeth and pushed her through the door.

"Let her go!" she heard Tyler's voice and she let out a relieved breath. She saw Tyler fight a vampire before and he was pretty damn good at it. He would save her and kill the arrogant vampire holding her hostage.

The vampire whistled a few times and and in barely a second, the odds had changed from bad to worse – there where suddenly two more vampires surrounding them.

Tyler took a few steps back; his eyes became yellow and the growling sound coming from his throat made Elena close her eyes. When she opened them, there was a big black wolf standing in front of them.

"I'll take _her_, you two take care of the dog!" the man said and dragged Elena away.

"No, no…don't kill Tyler!" she yelled.

"Tyler…oh, you mean the dog? Well it's his own fault, he shouldn't play the hero."

"What do you want from me? Money if it's that, than just… "she stopped herself mid-sentence, seeing the sarcastic arch of the vampires eyebrows.

"Money…are you kidding me? I don't give a damn about money.

"What is that you want then? Whatever it is, I will make sure you'll get it if you let me go."

"I already have what I wanted, and that is _you_."

They soon got to a big white SUV and he opened the passenger door pushing her inside.

"Aren't you going to tie me up or something?" she asked.

"Elena, did you ever meet a vampire one on one before?" she didn't say anything so he took it as the 'no' it was „Guess not; ok then, let me explain it to you. I am very, very fast and strong. You can't possibly outrun me, fight me or trick me, got it?" again, no answer. He slammed the door closed and in the blink of an eye, he was in the driver's seat. Elena looked at him out of the corner of her eyes…as much as she hated to admit it; she was very much physically attracted to him. He was different from every man she had ever known. On the other hand… she had never _met_ a vampire before, so of course this (he) was different for her!

"Why _me_, why do you want me?" she asked.

"Just coz…" he answered.

"Oh come on, I'm here, you got me, can you at least tell me why?"

"You talk too much – also… this is _not_ a movie. I'm not an evil, scheming villain that explains his plots to the poor victim." he said.

"You're an ass" she whispered.

"I heard that" he said, and instead of being mad, he was actually amused.

"How come Alex, Tyler or Robert didn't smell you out?" she asked, curious how a vampire got inside a club guarded by werewolfs.

"I had a little help from my new girlfriend."

She raised an eyebrow, not understanding what that has to do with everything.

"She's a wolf-girl…I slept with her, that's what masked my scent and then I took her clubbing…oh and she works there by the way. I waited for two fucking years for your daddy to hire a female guarding dog…"

"I suppose you're talking about Jules."

"Yep, that one, the beautiful blonde."

"Hm… really? I totally pictured you as gay…"

"Ha, ha, very funny! I heard about your sarcastic sense of humor and I must admit, you're almost as good as me… If you want, I can prove to you just how straight I am!"

"No thank you" she said, giving him a cold stare. She started playing with the zipper of her jacket, moving it up and down.

After a minute of pretending to _not_ care about the nerve-racking sound, he ripped the offending thing clean off the jacket.

"There you go" he said, like he just did her a huge favor.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, obviously pissed.

"Well, you didn't seem to make up your mind whether you wanted it up or down, so I thought I'd help you out."

"I didn't…I wasn't…I was playing with it!"

"Ohhh, is Elena's little toy broken? Don't worry, we'll stop and buy you a Barbie doll. Do you want me to make you a pinky promise too?" he asked in a fake, irritating baby voice

She growled at him, refusing to honor his question with an answer. For a few miles, they both remained quiet.

"Do you smoke? I would like, totally kill for a cigarette right now" she said and opened the glove-compartment, before he got the chance to stop her. A picture of her, wearing a black tight dress and a seductive smile fell from the compartment and landed upside-down at her feet. That's when she saw the inscription on the back, 'Katherine 1995'. It must be a mistake, she was only three years old in 1995, and her name was _not_ Katherine... This damn night just kept getting stranger and stranger.

**N: **_Please don't forget to review! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

**N: **_So, there you have it, the 3th chapter, enjoy!_

_Thanks to my wonderful beta Zoraya Windwalker for her amazing work on this. Girl you're so good I ran out of adjectives to describe you, thank you!_

**Destination unknown**

"Where did you get this? By the way, you have the wrong year" she said, her eyes still on the picture.

He didn't answer her; he just pulled over, grabbed the picture and stuck it in his pocket. As he turned to face her, the anger in his eyes was burning so bright, that her breath hitched in her throat.

"Can you stay still and _not_ snoop around for two more hours?" he asked and she nodded.

His grip on the steering wheel was so tight, that she feared it might break under his hands any moment now. But she was silent, not making a single sound as she waited for him to get his anger back under control and start the engine; a few minutes later he did, and she was grateful for that… at least the driving would distract him for the time being.

As the sun rose an hour later, she was still very quiet – still fearing that he might explode on her. It didn't hinder her from appreciating the play of colors, painting the horizon into all shades from midnight blue, to light red.

"Still beautiful, no matter how many times you've seen it" he said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Yes, it is…" Elena answered.

This time he cleared his throat before speaking, "Do you…have…needs?" he asked.

"I'm thirsty."

"There is a bottle of soda in the back" he said.

Elena turned in her seat and stretched her hand to grab the bottle. She drank half of it without breathing.

"Wow, you really were thirsty! Are you hungry as well?"

She was surprised he cared about her needs…she _was_ starving, but she didn't want to admit it.

"I can handle it for another hour."

"Are you sure? I can just stop and buy something."

"Well, if you're offering, you can stop and buy me a pack of cigarettes" she said enthusiastic.

"No, no, no, there's no smoking under my surveillance."

"Really? You kidnapped me, killed my bodyguard, yelled at me and now you won't let me smoke?"

"It's bad for you."

"You've got to be kidding me! Do you hear yourself? You like, need my organs or something?"

"Maybe…"

"Will you tell me what your plans are once we get to…well, wherever we're going?"

"Probably…"

"Where are we going anyway?"

"A place 20 minutes from here…"

"That doesn't really answer my question."

"Who says I was _trying_ to answer your question?"

"Do you have some weird crush on me?"

"Cocky much?"

"Well, you are not giving me a straight answer, so I'm making my own assumptions."

"Then your assumptions are wrong…and stop playing twenty questions!"

Elena turned her head and continued staring out of the window; a minute later she almost jumped out of her seat.

"Mystic Falls, you're taking me to Mystic Falls?"

"How did you know?"

"The big bright sign that says 'Welcome to Mystic Falls' was a big help" she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"That wasn't supposed to be there" he said and cursed under her breath.

"My mother was originally from here…"

"I know…"

"How come you know so much about me…and I don't even know your name?"

"It's Damon…" she gave him a strange look.

"My name is Damon."

"Oh!"

"Elena…"he turned to face her, barely watching the road, "…I know everything about you. I know your favorite food is spaghetti carbonara, your favorite movie is Dirty Dancing, your favorite color is purple, you play piano and you love it and you always have fresh lilac flowers in your room…"

She was shocked he knew so much about her and she couldn't help but wonder how…

"…I also know you hate vampires" he continued.

"Can you blame me? My mother was killed by a vampire and here I am, kidnapped by one…"

"How come you're so sure that a vampire killed her, did you see it happen?"

"No, but my father told me…"

"Your father…your father doesn't know _anything_ and he _thinks_ he knows _everything_. Do you believe everything your dad tells you?"

"Of course I do, he's my dad, he wouldn't lie to me."

"Deforming the…lying… same difference, in the big picture."

"What does this…what do you know about my mother?"

"That she was declared missing when you were two years old…_missing_, not dead…"

"Well, they never found the body, my dad said that they probably burned or buried it."

"Daddy says this, daddy says that…" he started in a mocking voice, "…he probably told you vampires sleep in coffins, transform into bats at night and run scared if someone points a cross at them!"

"So…I get it you don't do all that."

"No, we don't."

"But you _do_ kill people and feed on their blood…"

"Look, I won't lie to you, most of us, especially at the beginning kill in order to feed, but after a while, we learn to control it. We can drink from a person then compel them to forget it happened. There are always blood-banks too, that's how I feed. Others even drink from animals so they won't hurt humans. See, we're not that bad!"

Elena was just looking at him, unable to formulate a response yet. Could it be that there were good vampires out there? No, no, no, that was not possible, they were all cold, vicious creatures; manipulating and killing humans, nothing good about them, _nothing._"

"Damon…" it was the first time she was saying his name and Damon thought that it sounded beautiful coming from her mouth. "… '_I used to kill people, but now it's all good'_ doesn't really make it better, the people you _did_ kill are still dead, their families are still hurt and they still miss them…"

"I know that; look kid, if you're trying to make me feel bad, it's not working. Another thing you should know about vampires is that they don't feel…" he paused for effect, "…no regret, no pain, no pity; _nothing_, get it?"

"Why do I have a feeling you're trying to convince yourself more then you're trying to convince me?" she asked.

He stopped the car abruptly and looked at her with those intense blue eyes and Elena forgot how to breathe for a few moments. She thought he was going to yell at her again or at least deny it, but he didn't. He was just staring at her; making her feel all sorts of things…things she shouldn't feel…

"I make you nervous…" he said in a low voice.

"Duh! You're staring at me…"

He didn't say anything else; he got out of the car and in a split second he was holding the door open for her.

"Welcome to 'the Boarding House'! He said and offered her his hand to help her out of the car, but she refused. Instead she pushed herself up and hit her head. "That's what you get for being stubborn!"

**N: **_Hope you like it, please do review and let me! In the next one we'll meet new 'people'…! _


	4. Chapter 4

**N: **_So, this is the forth chapter…not much to say about it…just, enjoy!_

_As usual, big, big 'thank you' to my great beta, Zoraya Windwalker!_

**Accommodations**

She got out of the car, ignoring his words. She couldn't help but stop and admire the beautiful house in front of her, it was a real masterpiece. He hadn't lied to her when he had said he had money.

"I told you I have money…" he said then, as if he could read her mind.

"It's beautiful!"

"I know; my father had it built for my mother."

She felt that there was more to this story, but she didn't dare to ask. He led her towards the entrance, and once inside Elena's eyes started to roam around in a failed attempt to take everything in. This house was definitely telling a story…a story that she would probably never hear… A few moments later they were joined by another two people – a boy in his late teens and a young woman. They were watching Elena with intrigued expressions on their faces. The guy advanced towards her,

"You must be Elena, I'm Stefan, Damon's brother" he said, smiling at her like she was a guest and not a prisoner.

Damon stepped between them and Elena thought his gesture was being territorial. The brunette woman came closer and wrapped her arms around Damon; their kiss was short but enough to make Elena believe there was something between them.

"Rose, this is Elena…Elena this is Rose, a…friend. She'll be taking care of your needs." He said, but Elena was sure there was more than friendship there… Rose mumbled a weak 'hi' and gave Elena a fake smile.

"Come on then, I'll show you to your room!" she said in a strong British accent. She waited until Elena started to move towards her, then she made her way up the stairs.

"My God, she looks just like her!" Stefan said, once the two women were out of earshot.

"Well, that's kind of the point… but she's _not_ Katherine" Damon responded.

"I know that, the heartbeat gave it away. Are you still willing to go through with this, you know what is going to happen to her, right?" Stefan asked.

"What kind of stupid question is that, Stefan?"

Stefan looked at his brother, but as always, he couldn't find anything in his eyes; no emotions, no sympathy…nothing. He didn't know if he should feel bad for him or slap him out of his misery. It's been more than ten years since she was killed and Damon was acting as if it had happened yesterday. He waited for his brother to recover from his grief, but it had never happened. He was lost in his own world, too drunk to function half the time…

"Damon…" he started carefully, "…maybe it's not such a good thing to keep her here; I can take her over to Pearl's, I'm sure she will be safe there."

"What are you afraid of, brother? That I'm going to kill her or that I'm going to fall for her…or are you afraid that _you_ are going to fall for her, just like it happened with Katherine?"

"Damon…I'm…you're not stable…"

"That's right, Stefan, I'm not; and if you don't want to experience just how _un_stable I am, I suggest you go fetch Bonnie and forget you even started this conversation!"

After his brother left, Damon got into the shower. He placed his hands on the wall and let the water flow over his body. His own words made their way back into his mind. _Fall for her_; no, no, he fucking _hated_ her. She was just another spoiled brat that had an easy life…too easy. As soon as he spoke these words, he knew they weren't true. She was more than that…and that 'spoiled brat' act, was just that - an act, a defense mechanism. Inside, she was just a scared little girl, showing a brave façade to anyone who might look her way. He was actually admiring the way she was keeping herself calm and together in the situation she was in. instead of creaming and pushing and trying to escape, she kept her calm, taking everything in; she was probably thinking about an escape strategy. Smart one, this girl…he was really curious how that would go. The poor thing… her life got turned upside-down all of a sudden. Was he feeling bad for her? What was wrong with him…he didn't even like her…he just needed her body.

Rose opened the door and practically pushed Elena inside.

The room was spacious and beautiful. There was a big bed on the wall to her left and a huge flat screen TV on the opposite one. There was a small desk in the right corner with an over-sized chair behind it. On the nightstand on the right, there was a lamp, and on the other one she could she a big clock, and a round, orange candle. The drapes were also a light orange, same color as the covers on the bed and the chair, making the room look warm, despite the white walls.

"You have your own bathroom, you already have all you need in there, if there is anything else I forgot about, just tell me, my room is two doors away from yours. The other door is a walk-in closet; there are only two medium size pajamas in there. Not that you need anything else, since they won't let you get out of the house. Now, I'll let you accommodate, I'll be in my room." She said and got out before Elena could even blink.

She got into the shower and started thinking about a way to break free. _As if it was even possible to escape out of a house full of vampires! _She thought with a slightly hysteric touch. She wanted to go home, to find out what happened to Tyler. She wanted to at least be able to talk to her father, tell him she's alive…to talk to Caroline, she was sure the blonde was already freaking out. She decided to ask Damon if she could call her father once she was out of the shower. Damon…something was definitely wrong with that guy in her opinion. He didn't seem like a generally bad guy…something must have pushed him to do this…he did kidnapped her, but then he was concerned with her needs. And his eyes, they didn't hold anger or hate or evil…they held fear and pain, lots and lots of pain…and lost, even regret… '_What on earth is wrong with you?'_ she asked herself, _'you can NOT like this guy!'_

She got out of her room ten minutes later and stopped in the hallway, looking around confused. There were five more rooms besides hers. She knew the second after hers was Rose's room, but there were four more… she opened the door to one of them, and found it was empty and looked like no one had been living there in years, same thing happened with the second one. The next room had the door slightly ajar so she just pushed it to open it further. The room was empty but something caught her attention. She walked inside and made her way towards the bed. She took a picture she saw on the night stand and walked her fingers over the frame. It was her in a wedding dress…she looked so beautiful, only…she never,_ ever_ had been dressed in a wedding gown. The noise of an opening door made her drop the picture.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

His angry voice made Elena bite her lip nervously. She picked up the picture from the floor, took another quick look at it and placed back on the night-stand.

When she finally turned to face him and explain herself, what she saw made her words get stuck in her throat. What she saw was a half naked Damon; with only towels around his waist…playful drops of water were weaving their way down his perfect chest. Elena couldn't get her eyes off him; she felt like she was hypnotized. Every single muscle and every groove had its place, he was…perfection.

"I…I…hmm…just…" she was aware of the fact that she was stuttering, but she didn't seem to remember any words from the English vocabulary.

"Great, now you have a talking problem! Didn't Rose tell you to go look for _her_ if you need anything?" he asked.

Elena took a deep breath and a step forward.

"She might've mentioned it…I don't do well with orders though."

"Well, I don't do well with strangers in my room. You should get used with receiving orders 'cause you'll get a lot of them. What do you want?"

"Ok, I know I'm a prisoner and all, but could I just call my dad and let him know I'm still alive?"

"No can do, don't worry though, you won't be for long…alive I mean."

Elena was watching him with a confused expression. She really thought he wasn't planning on killing her…

"Finally…I found a way to make you shut up. Now that's what I call progress! If I could just make you listen to me and do as I say more often, I might feel sorry for killing you" he looked like he was thinking about something, "…actually, not even then."

"You are not going to kill me, if you would've wanted me dead, I would've been dead, but I'm not…"

"Yet, you are not dead _yet_,"

"Fine then, I'm hungry and I want to go shopping. I am _not_ dying in pajamas!"

"God, you are a brat! I'll take you shopping tomorrow; just remember that Mystic Falls is not Milano!"

"No, really? You could've fooled me…" she said pointing towards his open closet. "I know quality when I see it."

"Oh, those are not from here, they're imported. So I hate to break it to you but no Gucci or Versace for daddy's little girl."

"I'm more of a Valentino and Cavalli kind of girl, but I guess Mystic Falls winter collection will have to do."

"Bonnie is downstairs she…" Rose stopped and gave Elena a long stare, "…what is she doing here?" she asked.

"I should ask you the same thing; weren't you supposed to keep an eye on her?"

"I did baby, I don't know how…"

"Never mind, take her downstairs, I'll be there in a minute. Oh and Rose, make sure you don't lose her on your way there!"

Rose grabbed Elena's arm and started to drag her out of the room.

"I can walk by myself, thank you very much."

"You can, can you? Especially places you shouldn't be…"

Once they got into the living room, Elena noticed a beautiful brunette, staring at her.

"Didn't your mommy teach you it's not polite to stare?" she asked.

"My God, you really are Katherine's exact replica!" the girl said, ignoring Elena's question.

"Excuse me; I think you got me confused with someone else."

**N: **_What do you guys think? Review and let me know, I'm dying to hear your thoughts! _


	5. Chapter 5

**N: **_I'm sorry for the long wait; I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm so happy you guys think I'm going for the sun-and-moon curse…you'll be surprised and I love to surprise me readers._

_Now, a big thank you to my wonderful beta Zoraya Windwalker for her amazing help!_

**The missing ingredient**

"Bonnie, finally…I thought my brother lost you" Damon said, walking towards the girl whose eyes remained trained on Elena. He caught her hand and pulled her into a long kiss that for some reason made Elena's stomach turn upside-down.

"It's been a long time…" Damon said and the girl confirmed it with a lazy grin of her own.

"Let's get to work, shall we! Do you have the book?" she asked.

"Yes, Stefan, do you mind?" Damon asked his brother who nodded and then disappeared for a minute and came back with a big old boo which he gave to the girl.

"Good, now I need the ring."

"I can't find that damn ring, Bonnie. I have no idea where to look, I've been searching for it everywhere…"

"Damon, I can't do it without the ring. It's the ring that holds her spirit."

"I…can't you like, track it down or something?"

"I'm sorry but it doesn't work like that" the girl slowly made her way towards the couch. She took a seat beside him and placed her hand above his. "Damon, you are my friend and I would do anything for you, you know that, but I can't do this without the ring…"

Elena was watching the two of them confused. "Is anyone going to explain to me what the hell is going on?" she finally asked, looking around, waiting for an answer.

"Do you want me to take her upstairs?" Rose asked.

"I'll do it, since there is not much we can do for now. You can prepare a room for Bonnie, she'll stay here tonight" he said, and then he turned to face Elena. "Up you go!" he ordered, pointing towards the stairs.

Once she was in 'her' room, Elena turned around not realizing that Damon was just behind her. She literally bumped into him; they both stopped for a moment and just started at each other. Elena could feel her heart-rate raise…she was fully aware of the fact that he was a very good looking man – all hard angles, lean muscles and those gorgeous blue eyes - and she reacted to it…she was physically attracted to him and she hated it. She was almost sure she had the same effect on him though…

"Care to explain what just happened?" she asked and he took a few steps back.

"Not your concern."

"Oh would you cut the crap already, it's not like I can run away or something. You're planning on killing me anyway, so you might as well tell me what's going on. Isn't that what the bad guys do? Rambling on about their evil, genius plans to their victims? Why did that girl call me Katherine and why was the same name written on the back of a picture of me?"

"That wasn't a picture of you…that was _Katherine_…she is…she _was_…my wife…"

"What? Why do I look like her?" she asked.

"It's a long story…"

"You're a vampire for Christ's sake, so it's not as if time should be an issue for you!"

"Now it's not the time. Get some sleep, you need it, you look like crap! Oh, and one more thing: don't come into my room again!" he said and vanished before Elena had time to protest.

A few minutes later, Damon's brother, Stefan, brought her a chicken salad and a brownie. She ate everything, brushed her teeth and climbed into bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about how her life became such a drama. A few minutes later she was asleep.

Elena woke up the next morning with a very serious need for coffee. She washed her face and made her way downstairs, recalling where to find the kitchen, and going straight in there, without any detours – right now, coffee was more vital than _anything_ else. Surprisingly it was empty. She spotted the coffee machine in the left corner and almost made a 'happy dance'. She changed the filter and was now looking for the coffee. As she systematically searched through all the cupboards, she suddenly felt another presence in the room.

"Do you even know how to use one of those?" Damon asked.

"Of course I do, I just don't know where the coffee is."

"Top cabinet, above the machine."

Elena opened the small cabinet, took the coffee and put some of it in the filter. She poured the water in its place and sat down on a chair at the table to wait.

"I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchens. My father wouldn't let me go out much, especially when I was little, so my best friends were the girls in the staff" she said, her eyes following him as he was moving around the room. He got to the fridge, took out a blood-bag and stuck it in the micro-wave. Once ready, he got it out and poured the liquid in a big glass. He emptied it quickly, washed it, and then he closed the distance between them and stood in front of her.

"What, you think I'm too spoiled, too arrogant, too much of a bitch to be friends with the staff?" she asked when she saw how he was looking at her. But he didn't answer. "Look, if you know my favorite food, one of my favorite movies and the name of the flowers I keep in my room, that doesn't mean you know _me_…"

"What makes you think I want to know you?"

"It's… I thought…it's just the way you look at me. But I guess it's because of her…isn't it? You look at me like that because I look like your deceased wife? "

"How did you guess…" he said, but she missed the irony in his voice.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm _not _her. I'm _not_ your wife; you can't replace me with her, I..."

The sound of the coffee machine interrupted her. She stood up, took two cups and filed them with coffee. "Sugar?" she asked.

"Yes, two…please" he added the last word in a whisper.

Elena put two cubes of sugar in each cup and handed one to him. She took her seat sat back down at the table and he took a seat in front of her.

"How…how did she… I mean what… what happened to her?" she asked.

"It's a long story…"

"God, everything is a _long story_ for you! Can't you make a summary for me?"

"Sure, your father killed her; ten and a half years ago. Is this abbreviated enough for you?"

"I'm sorry…" was all she could say. She hadn't counted on _this_ answer to her question, at all.

"Yeah sure, after all we are all just a bunch of cold bloodsuckers that are already dead so…"

"That's not…well I…"

"Save it, I don't need your pity or anything. Tomorrow I'll take you shopping; Rose will have your street clothes ready for you by then."

"Thank you" Elena said.

He walked out of the kitchen without looking back even once and Elena didn't see him until the next day.


	6. Chapter 6

**N**_: So, sorry for the long wait. So Elena's kind of fighting back in this one, hope you'll like it._

_As usual, a huge 'thank you' to my absolutely amazing beta Zoraya Windwalker! _

**Going shopping**

"Since I don't trust anyone with you, I have to take you to the store myself."

"Imagine the sacrifice!" Elena said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Stop mocking me, I'm hung over he complained.

"I didn't know vampires even _could_ get a hangover!" she said surprised.

"It's not the same as with humans. Our senses get weak the day after. We are used to have them running at full capacity, so the lack of it makes us confused, it's like we're human, but we're not used on being…why the hell am I explaining this to you anyway?" his question was rhetorical, but Elena answered it anyway.

"Because I asked you and it's not polite to ignore someone and not answer them when they ask you a question."

"A nice theory you have there…well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not a very polite person."

"Strange, since you come from a century where people actually knew what respect and politeness means…"

"Well, I adapted to the modern times."

"Some things are better kept 'old fashion'." She said and he raised an eyebrow at her.

She put on her jacket and gave him a cold stare as she tried to zip it and couldn't because he ripped it the day he kidnapped her.

"I'll buy you another one" he said, "Actually…I'll have to buy you _everything_, since you have no money."

"And whose fault is that? You should've at least let me take my purse when you sneaked me away…" she complained, "Good thing you have money, cause I'm a very big spender." She said and he was the one rolling his eyes at her this time.

Half an hour later, they were walking inside the store.

"These aren't half bad…" she said looking around.

After she saw every corner of the store and picked out multiple articles, she went into dressing-room and Damon sat down on a chair a waiting for her. After a few minutes, he heard her call after the saleswoman. Damon looked around, but she was nowhere in sight.

He decided to help her himself, so he walked over and pushed the door slightly. He initially wanted to mock her for needing help, but his words got stuck in his throat. She looked astonishing, in a strapless yellow dress, revealing her shoulders…the color made her flawless olive skin shine. It took every last bit of his strength not to push her against the change-room wall, close the door and kiss her senseless.

"I…you were calling, the lady, she's not there so…"

"So, you decided to come to my rescue" Elena finished his sentence for him.

"I can go if you want, look for the…"

"No, it's ok. It's the zipper, it got stuck half way" she said, moving her hand to her back to show him the problem.

"I can't see if your hands are here."

"Oh…" she said and moved her hands.

"The zipper got stuck in the material of your bra…by the way, this dress is supposed to go _without_ one" he said.

His hands made their way to her back and when his cold fingers made contact with her skin, a soft shiver went through her body. Their eyes met in the mirror and Elena blushed slightly, which brought a smirk to Damon's face.

"There you go." he said.

Elena started pulling her bra-strips down off her shoulder, to her arms and let it fall to the floor.

"Do you mind pulling the zipper up?" she asked.

He mumbled something that Elena thought was 'not at all', and then she felt his hands grabbing the zipper. He pulled it up, slowly, stopping from time to time for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of her warm skin.

"Thank you…now if you don't mind, I have to find the perfect pair of shoes and that could take a while."

"I really don't get this obsession of women with shoes!" he said and got out of the dressing-room.

Elena looked over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't there anymore. Satisfied that he wasn't, she bend over and picked up the pair of dark jeans that she prayed Damon didn't notice when she slipped them among the other articles. She put them on, lifted her dress up and put a white blouse over it, to cover the dress. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and covered it with a cap. She put her leg on the small bench and jumped over into the other dressing-room. She picked up the clothes that were there and got out, holding them close to her body. She saw Damon out of the corner of her eye - looking at her - and for a moment she forgot to breathe, but she recovered as soon as he turned his attention to the TV in the corner of the room.

She got to the register and deposed the articles on the counter and nodded at the cashier, letting her know she wasn't buying.

As soon as she found herself outside, she turned at the first corner and started running without looking back.

Damon waited more than ten minutes before he decided to check on her. He opened the door and his jaw dropped when he saw she wasn't there. He looked for her all over the store, but no sign of her, as if she disappeared into thin air. He asked the lady that helped Elena.

"I don't know Sir, she told me she'd like the same dress in red and I told her I have to go look if we still have it. She said there's no problem and she'll wait…"

Damon mumbled a 'thank you' and ran outside.

A FEW HOURS LATER

Elena was starving, scared and she had no money to call for help. She was looking at the cute guy at the bar that was definitely flirting with her. She didn't even notice the man in the darkest corner of the room that was watching her since she got inside. Elena decided that she could take advantage of the guy and made her way towards the Bar. She took a seat beside him and gave him her sweetest smile.

"Hey" she said.

"Hello, you're new here aren't you?" he asked, his eyes fixed on her lips.

"Yes, I'm visiting a good friend."

"Oh, how nice, and how do you like the town?"

"I didn't get to explore much, I just arrived yesterday, but the people seem really nice. They are all so welcoming and polite."

"Yeah, we are pretty hospitable. I'm Matt, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Matt, I'm Elena" she said and stretched her hand to meet his.

"And where is your friend?"

"She…oh, no, I can't tell you…you'll laugh."

"You have my word, I won't even smirk" he promised.

"Well, we were shopping and I got carried away…God this is embarrassing…" she said, looking at the floor, "…I was checking out the stores, they were so pretty and the next thing I know…I got…lost…" she said and smiled weakly.

"It happens, so you don't know where your friend is?"

"Nope, I know her number by heart, but I have no money to use a public phone. See, my purse was with her and…well, my wallet was there too."

"You got it bad, didn't you? Here, you can use my phone" he said, handing her his cell phone.

'Bingo!' Elena told to herself. She took the device from him and bit her lip lightly.

"Thank you so, so much. Do you mind if I take it outside, the music is pretty loud, I'm afraid she won't hear me and I need to explain where I am?"

"No problem, just tell her you're at 'The Grill' she'll know where it is!"

Elena doubted her father would know where this 'The Grill' was but she nodded and went outside. She started dialing her father's number, but before she had time to finish, a cold hand covered her mouth and she dropped the phone. She started hitting her attacker with her elbows, but he didn't seem to notice, instead he just laughed at her. He pulled her arm, forcing her to turn and face him. Elena growled in pain and closed her eyes.

"Open your eyes and look at me, you little bitch! You really think you can just disappear for ten fucking years and then come back like nothing happened?"

**N**: _Hope you guys enjoyed it, review and let me know! _


	7. Chapter 7

**N**_: Sorry for the late update and hope you'll enjoy!_

_Again, a huge thank you goes to my amazing beta Zoraya Windwalker! _

**Lost and found**

"Now tell me, Katherine, how on earth did you manage to make yourself human again?"

Elena opened her eyes slowly. This was turning into a bad habit, she didn't even _know_ the woman and yet she was getting her in all kinds of trouble.

"I'm not Katherine, my name is Elena. Please, let me go, I'm not the person you are looking for!"

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know your games Katherine, or did you forget we used to play them together? I know you got everybody fooled, even that pretty husband of yours…what was his name again? Oh yes…_Salvatore_. See, now I can't remember which one you actually married since you toyed around with both of them."

His fingers squeezed around her throat, his eyes became dark and red, and blue-green veins made their appearance around them. He opened his mouth and Elena could see his fangs extend. She closed her eyes again, trying to push away that horrible image from her head.

"If you don't start talking I swear I'll break your pretty little neck. You should've known better then make yourself human, Katherine…humans are very… _fragile_."

"No, please, I'm not…" she started, but he cut her off.

"You have five seconds: five…four…I'm not hearing you talk Katherine…three…two…" he didn't even finish as he pushed her against a wall.

Elena heard –and felt – as several of her bones broke under the force. She screamed in pain, but decided not to get distracted by it. She watched the vampire starting his way back towards her and tried to push herself up, but she couldn't move her leg. She looked down at the now useless appendage and then back up just in time to see her attacker being attacked.

She watched the two vampires fight…they were so fast that Elena couldn't tell them apart; but as she wiped her tears away she recognized her savior.

"Damon…" she called in a weak voice.

In a split second he was beside her.

"Just how _stupid_ are you? Do you have any idea how many vampires are after you? You could've got yourself killed a million times by now…you can't just run away like that. Don't you ever, _ever_ do that again, do you hear me?"

Elena nodded lightly. She couldn't believe she was actually happy to see Damon.

He curled his hand around her waist, pulling her up, and she moaned in pain.

"Can you stand?"

"No, I think my leg is broken" she answered.

"Damnit…son of a bitch…damn!"

Elena watched him curse a blue streak and she wondered what the big deal was; she ran away after all …she thought he would think she deserved it.

Quickly he brought his own arm up to his mouth and bit down, drawing blood. The next thing she registers is the rusty taste of his blood in her mouth as he pushed his arm against it.

"Drink!" he ordered, but she pulled back, looking at him with disgust. "Drink it, damn it, it will heal you!" he said, forcing his wrist into her mouth again.

Elena did as told and started to drink down the basic liquid. She had to force herself to swallow it, but she still did.

"That's it, good girl" he said. He waited another couple of minutes, still supporting her, before letting go. He slowly pulled back, "you should be good, just prepare yourself for a very painful headache tomorrow. Now let's go!" he said and caught her hand in his, pulling her towards his car.

Elena took a deep breath before starting to speak.

"You can't really blame me for trying to escape…I mean…you are planning on killing me because my father killed your wife" she said.

"Your father killing my wife has nothing to do with you being here."

"Why are they after me? You…you told me earlier that many vampires are after me…why? What's so special about me?" she asked.

"You look like my wife; they think you're her, that's why they're after you…"

"I figured that much, but why? Why are they after her?"

"She…she wasn't just another vampire…she was special."

"Yeah, I get it, she was your special someone, that's why you married her and everything, but that still…"

"No, I mean, she was special that way too, she had a hell of a personality, that's for sure, but they are not after her _personality_, they're after her _powers_."

"Don't all vampires have these powers?"

"Not the ones she had…she was able to morph into another person…_any_ person. All she had to do was to touch them and puff, she would take their form. She was the only vampire in history known to do that."

"Oh…"

They got back at the Boarding House in less than fifteen minutes. As soon as he opened the door, Rose and Stefan appeared from the kitchen.

"You found her…" Stefan said.

"She was at the Grill. She got in a fight with a vampire _by_ _the_ _way_. I think he was working for Klaus. I don't think he got the chance to talk with anyone, but you should go check it out anyway!"

"I'm on my way" Stefan said and got out.

"Rose, can you make sure she get's two aspirins in the morning?" he asked, looking at Rose, "…please" he added.

"Oh, don't tell me she got drunk!"

Elena turned around and saw that Bonnie girl descending the stairs. She really, _really_ didn't like this girl.

"No, she got into a fight with a vampire and she broke her leg. I gave her some of my blood so she would heal."

"You should be very careful with that, you know the spell only works if she's human."

"I know that, she'll be fine. I'll take her to her room." He announced and led Elena up the stairs, leaving the two girls alone in the kitchen.

Once in front of the door, Damon grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.

"What you did today, was _incredibly_ stupid…"

"Actually, the only thing stupid about it, was that I got caught" she said, pulling away from his grasp and walked in the room, closing the door behind her, leaving a very frustrated Damon behind.

**N**_: Waiting for your thoughts, please take a minute to review! _


	8. Chapter 8

**N****: **_Finally an update! I'm sorry for the long wait guys, but you know what they say, good things are worth waiting for…right? Anyway, this chapter's a bit darker than the other…I hope you'll still like it and I hope the story still inspire you to review._

_As always a big thank you goes to my beta Zoraya Windwalker for her great work on this!_

**Too drunk to care**

Elena took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Her heart was beating faster than should be possible and her palms were so sweaty that she was sure her silver ring would slide off her finger any moment now.

Damon placed the framed photo back on the nightstand and got up from the bed. He almost stumbled and landed on his ass three times before even reaching the door. He was so drunk he could barely see the handle. He leaned against the door and started moving his hand up and down in search for the little bump that would open it. As soon as he found the door-handle, he turned it and pulled it towards himself. As he looked down he saw a pair of pink, fluffy slippers. His eyes moved up, over her legs, her waist, her chest and finally, her face…and there she was, so fucking beautiful, taking his non-existent breath away. Only…she wasn't _her_…she just _looked_ like her.

"You can…can't…be here…you need, _need_ to leave!" he mumbled.

"What I _need_ are some fucking _answers_," she said.

"Are you stupid…I told you to leave, didn't I?"

"You're drunk," she said raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, what…tipped you off? Was it my breath?" he asked, taking his hand to his mouth and blowing against it.

"Can I come in?" she asked weakly.

"No," he cut her. "Go back to your room Elena, before…I'll do something, we'll both regret!"

"Oh come on, we both know you're not going to hurt me…"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as he had her pressed against the wall just outside of his room. He caught her hands and placed them above her head. His face was so close to hers that now Elena could easily smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Listen to me very careful, Elena. I'm very, _very_ drunk right now and you look like my wife, that's been dead for ten years. Now I can assure you, that even in my condition, my body still responds to yours," to prove his point, he pushed his hips forward and Elena felt his erection pressing against her core. She let out a weak scream and bit her lip to stop another.

"Now, unless you want me to rip off your clothes and fuck you until I sober up, I strongly suggest that you return to your room and stay there, got it?"

Elena nodded – she couldn't do anything else. He freed her hands, took a long look at her, and then he took a step back, making room so she would be able to go past him.

She practically ran to her room and closed the door behind her, leaning against it. She had never felt more scared and more turned on in her entire life. _'For crying out loud Elena, you can't be attracted to a vampire that wants to kill you! Are you insane?' _she asked herself.

She slowly made her way towards the bed, but she didn't manage to get to her destination as the door slammed open.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Rose asked angrily.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything," Elena answered.

"He locked himself in his room and he started throwing things around and screaming that he loves his wife. So what did you do? I know you did something, he's usually pretty quiet and now he's the _opposite_ of it." She took a step closer and Elena took a step back. "I tried so hard… to make it stop…" she started, "…and it worked…until _you_ showed up. He started drinking again, the moment he brought you here."

Elena looked at the woman in front of her and for some reason she felt bad for her… also she felt angry, it's not like she chose to be there, but mostly, she felt guilty. Maybe the woman was right and it was all her fault.

"I'm sorry," she said, and she meant it. "I could…I can go…talk to him, try to calm him down."

Rose looked at her like she was a crazy person who just got out from a sanatorium and is trying to make her way back into society.

"Have you completely lost your mind? He'll probably kill you and then he'll kill me for letting you go in there."

"Please, I need to try! If I'm the one that pushed him to it maybe I can reverse it," she begged. "And, you and I both know he won't kill me…" she added, sounding more confident then she felt.

"Ok, I'll be in my room, although, it's not like I can do anything…" Rose mumbled and got out of the room.

Elena found herself knocking on Damon's door for the second time that afternoon.

"Go away!" he yelled.

"Damon…it's Elena. Can you please open the door?" she said softly.

"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"I'm not going anywhere, open the door, please!"

"Fine, just remember you asked for it!" he shouted and Elena felt fear taking her over.

He opened the door and in a quick movement, he pulled her inside, managing to close the door behind them using his foot. He stuck his fingers in her hair, pulling it so hard that Elena felt tears forming in her eyes.

"I told you what would happen if you don't stay away…" he whispered in her ear.

"Damon, you have…you have to calm down!" she mumbled.

"Oh, I'm going to do just that…and _you_ are going to help me."

Just like a few minutes ago, he pushed her against the nearest wall, pressing his body against hers. He placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place, crushing her tiny figure between him and the cold wall. Ignoring her screams and protests, he started kissing her neck roughly, moving lower, on her collarbone, leaving a hot, wet trail behind.

He let go of her hands just to tear apart her shirt leaving her only in a lacy black bra.

"No, no, please, don't!" she begged.

"Oh you wanted this; otherwise you wouldn't have come here when I clearly told you what would happen if you do."

"I came…because you were upset…"

He ripped her bra off and threw it a few feet away from them, palming one of her breasts. His mouth found its way back to her neck, biting her flesh as his hands were firmly massaging her breasts.

"Damon…please…you're hurting me…Damon…" she was crying, big salty tears pouring from her eyes; her small hands desperately trying to push him away, but he was unmovable. "Damon…" she whispered again.

In that moment, something in her voice made Damon stop. He took half a step back and looked at the frightened girl in front of him. '_What the hell are you doing, Salvatore?_' he asked himself. He never in his life…or afterlife had to force himself on a woman; let alone in this barbaric way.

"My God…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" he said, watching Elena try to cover herself with what was left of her camisole.

He stretched his hand and grabbed one of his shirts from the closet and placed it over her shoulders. She immediately buttoned it all the way up.

"I'm sorry, Elena…" he said.

Elena looked him in the eyes and saw _it_…_all_ of it. The pain, the lost, the fear, the regret…. Call it maternal instincts or something like that, as she found herself closing the distance between them and throw her arms around his neck pulling his head to her chest. They both let their bodies slide to the floor. She started petting his head like he was a lost puppy that needed guidance.

"Shhh, its ok…it will be ok. I know it hurts, but you have to be strong. You're better than that." she whispered.

He didn't say a word; he just let her hold him, because she made him feel better. And that's what she did; she held him, telling him every now and then that everything would be ok…and he believed her.

**N**: _So…what do you think about Damon's…reaction? I hope the chapter was worth waiting for, don't forget to review! _


	9. Chapter 9

**N: **_So, here's another chapter for you, I hope Elena's reaction after last one is not too…chocking, lol. We all know she's a sucker for lost causes._

_Thank you to all of you that are patient enough to wait for my updates, even of it takes a while. I hope you still like this story. I'm kind of stuck on it and I need your support…your words (reviews) inspire me._

_As always, THANK YOU Zoraya Windwalker for beta-reading this even if you're super busy, I really appreciate it!_

**Avoiding**

Elena was pacing the length of her room nervously. Damon had been avoiding her ever since 'the incident' happened. It's been three days…three days and no word from him; she hadn't even been able to catch a single sight of him, even though she desperately needed to speak to him.

She bit her bottom lip and opened the door slowly. She made her way towards the second door after hers and knocked gently.

"Come on in!" she heard Rose say.

"I…can you tell me where I can find him?" Elena asked unsurely – but to the point. No beating around the bush. "Please," she added barely audible.

"Why on earth would you want to talk to him or even be _near_ him after what happened? He very nearly _raped_ you for gods' sake…" Rose shouted.

"I…he didn't get that far; he stopped," Elena answered.

"I know he did."

"He didn't mean to…"

"No, he didn't, but it still happened. He's not…stable when it comes to you, because…well because you…"

"Look like her," Elena finished the phrase.

"Well, yeah. He's ashamed for what he did to you. He might act like a jerk most of the time, but I assure you, he's not…"

"I know."

"…he's not very good at talking about feelings or apologizing for that matter, but he is sorry…"

"_I know_," Elena said again.

"Do you? You don't know him. Stop acting like you do!" The vampire yelled and Elena took a step backwards.

"You're in love with him aren't you?" the girl asked carefully.

"It's none of your business," Rose fired back.

"So are you denying it?"

"No."

The direct and sincere answer took Elena by surprise. She wasn't surprised she loved him, after all even a blind woman would fall for him, but she didn't think Rose would tell her the truth.

"What's the point of denying it; it's pretty obvious, right?" Rose answered her unasked question.

All Elena could do was smile weakly.

"I think I loved him since the first time I saw him. We met six years ago at bar in Manhattan. He was circled by women of course…and somehow managing to entertain each and every one of them. His natural talents never cease to amaze me.

**Flash back**

The entrance door opened and Damon's eyes flew in its direction. His eyes met the ones of the brunet girl that just walked in.

She slowly made her way in his direction, without losing eye contact. She felt like his blue gaze was pulling her towards him and she was sure that if she wouldn't have been dead for centuries, her heart would've beaten like a drum right now; thank God she was though, because otherwise she would've blushed too.

The blonde girl on his left suddenly wasn't capable of getting his attention anymore. All he could concentrate on was the girl that was walking towards him. It wasn't her beauty that kept him hypnotized, although she _was_ beautiful – there was no denying that -, no, it was something else, something that Damon couldn't quite put his finger on yet.

Once she got close enough, he noticed two things: first, the girl didn't have a heartbeat; second she looked just as broken as him. That was it; that was the 'thing' that got him staring; finding his pain reflected in someone else's eyes.

The woman stopped just a step in front of him and smiled weakly.

"Hi, my name is Rose," she started, "I have a room upstairs and I would like to share it with you…"

"Let me pay for these first," was his answer as he turned to the bar and asked the waiter to give him his bill.

The girls at the bar protested when they saw he wanted to leave with the girl that just walked in, but he compelled them to go home and stop picking up strangers at the bar. 'This could've gone in a completely different direction.' He said.

Rose's head was resting on his chest and her hand was slowly caressing his abdomen. It took him a few seconds to realize she was the first girl that was still in the same bed as him in the morning since…well, since a long time.

"So…who had you lost?" she asked, bringing him back from his trip down memory lane.

"My wife…" he answered looking at the celling. "You?"

"Best friend."

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Me too," she returned.

**End of flash back**

"We found a distraction in each other; the problem is that…I fell in love with him and he didn't return those feelings," she said sadly.

Elena didn't say anything she just listened, that was the only thing she could do.

"He found out about you four and a half years ago, when he met Bonnie. They slept together…" she said in a whisper, "he tried to feed on her, and she almost turned him into ashes. Since then they have a weird, sick friendship going on."

"But I still…what does he want with me?" Elena asked weakly.

"I don't really know. I don't know all the details. He needs you, that old book and a ring to bring his wife back. He didn't tell me more; we don't talk, we just…well, not even that since he brought _you_ here…he keeps me at distance."

"Oh…but he can't do it without the ring, right?" Elena asked unsure.

"It took him over a year to find the book. Right after he found it, he started searching for the ring, but he wasn't very successful. So he decided to get you, the book and see if the witch could do it without the ring. Looks like you're in luck…she can't do it. The thing is, that he has no idea where to look for it anymore, that's why he's so mad, tense and pissed off all the time; he hit a dead end."

"Well I can't say I'm sorry…"

"I understand."

"I…I still need to talk to him…"

"He's in his study. He told me not to disturb him and make sure no one else does either. To be frank, I didn't think I'll _have_ to keep you away. After the bad episode from three days go I thought you'd want to be as far away from him as possible."

"Ok, I know you probably think I'm crazy and if I think about it, even _I_ think I'm crazy, but…I feel like I know him and I feel like he would never hurt me. I just want to tell him I don't hate him for what happened."

"Downstairs, first room to your left; you can't miss it, it has big, black-wood double doors. Just please, tell him you tricked me!" the vampire said and Elena nodded.

She made her way down the stairs; her steps becoming unsure once she got close to her destination.

What if she read him wrong, what if she overestimated her power over him or his love for his wife? He didn't find the ring he needed to bring her back, and he had no clue where it could be, so what if he decides to let go…and kill her since he won't need her anymore?

Before she had the chance to change her mind, she was already in front of the door. Rose had been right, you couldn't possibly miss it.

She didn't knock, he would've just yelled at her to go way. He pressed her hand on the door-handle and pushed the door open, biting her lip nervously.

**N**: _Here you go, another chapter; please review! _


	10. Chapter 10

**N: **_So, finally another chapter for you guys and this one has Damon…yay!_

_Thank you Zoraya Windwalker, for putting up with my many mistakes since I'm now writing at school…not enough time to do it elsewhere!_

_Enjoy!_

**Why a ring?**

Damon walked over the liquor cabinet and picked up a bottle of bourbon. He poured himself a generous helping into a tumbler and raised it to his lips. He stopped half way and looked at the glass like the answers to the world's biggest mysteries were hidden in there. He let out a sigh and slammed the glass back down, nearly breaking it in the process.

He returned to his desk, letting his body literally fall down on the big black leather chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

Three days…_three_ _fucking_ _days_ he had been avoiding her and he didn't even know why. It's not like he was ashamed; Damon Salvatore does not _do_ shame. He is a cold hearted monster…a vampire; he is not _supposed_ to care about others, especially not about _her_.

But despite all the valid point he just made up in his mind, he _was_ ashamed. He almost raped her for crying out loud…and what did she do? He consoled him she fucking _consoled_ him! She held him in her still trembling arms, whispering kind words into his ear like he was a heartbroken child. Her hand had cupped his face, her eyes locking with his and she smiled…her smile had been enough to calm him down and no matter how many times he'll try to convince himself it was because of her unmistakable resemblance to Katherine, he knew it wasn't true. That sweet, shy smile had nothing to do with Katherine…_nothing_.

That wasn't supposed to happen, he wasn't supposed to get close and she was supposed to hate him…hate, he could deal with. Hate was pure and easy to take. And she will hate him…she had to.

So lost in his though, he almost missed the sound of her chaotic heartbeat coming from the other side of the door.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

Elena didn't knock; he knew he would just yell at her to go away so she just pressed her hand to the handle and pushed the door open.

"You _are_ a brave one, aren't you?" Damon drawled sarcastically as soon as she stepped inside. He got up from his chair, slowly making his way towards her.

Elena seemed to have frozen to the spot; her heart was beating so erratically that she was convinced he would hear it even if he'd been human; as it was, she was sure she would have a heart attack any moment now. She bit her lip nervously and asked herself what the hell was she doing; coming after him after what just happened a few days ago.

Her hands were trembling uncontrollably and she grabbed the edge of her shirt in a failed attempt to stop them. She didn't want him to know just how nervous she really was.

"I can still hear your heart; not much you can do about _that_," he said. His voice sounded amused, which only scared her more.

"You…you've been avoiding me," she said in a weak voice.

"Did Rose put you up to this?" he asked.

"No," Elena answered quickly. "She doesn't know I'm here."

"Oh I very much doubt that," he said and a smile flashed across his face.

"You've been avoiding me," she said again with more… 'feeling' this time. She wanted to get straight to the point, get her answers and head out of there.

"Well…that didn't work very well now did it?" he asked sarcastically.

"Why? I want to know…why…"

Damon took another step in her direction…then another…and another until he was close enough that Elena could feel his cold breath on her temple.

"Because I don't want to rip your throat out, since I need you alive; obviously," he whispered in her ear and a shiver went all the way from the tip of her nose to her tiptoes.

"Yeah, I know. You need me to have that witch friend of yours transform me into your wife. I…understand…" she murmured.

"Understand? Now you _understand_ me? I thought you hate me…I thought you hate our _kind_…"

"I do…" she interrupted him, "…your kind took my mother away from me."

"Your mother _is_ our kind kid!" Damon shouted. He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.

"Excuse me?"

"My wife…she killed your mother… or rather…she turned her. Your mother's a vampire, Elena. Just like me."

"No…no…it can't…you're lying!" Elena started as she was shaking her head in denial.

"Isobel…your mother, she found my wife. Actually, she found Emily; Emily was Katherine's best friend and a very powerful witch; she's the one that send your mother to my wife.

**Flash back**

"Katherine?" a woman's voice asked.

"Who's asking?" Katherine asked as she turned around to face the woman that dared to disturb her down time.

"My name is Isobel. We have a friend in common that seems to think we can help each other out.

"We do?"

"Yes…Emily," Isobel answered.

"I gather you know what I am, then…?" Katherine mumbled with a smirk.

"I do."

"Good, that means you know that if you're trying to trick me, you'll be dead before you realize the thing that gave you away."

Isobel nodded and Katherine smiled, satisfied. She loved having the upper hand, in a fight or in a conversation; actually, she liked to have the upper hand no matter _what_ the circumstance.

"Ok, I'm listening."

"Emily found a way to help you. I know you're afraid the vampires that are after you will find and kill you…"

"Are you going to get to the point any time soon? Because really…patience, so not one of my virtues. I tend to snap people's necks when I get bored and you, my dear, are about three phrases away of doing just that: bore me." Katherine said impatiently.

"She found a way to bring you back if you get killed," Isobel said and Katherine's eyes started to sparkle.

"How?"

"Well, she can create a spell that will keep your spirit alive even after you die. So…you'll be dead, but your spirit won't; it will just be trapped in an object. The object can be a locket, a charm, a ring…any object that you must always wear."

"Interesting… and then I'm going to rise from the object?"

"Not really; now comes the tricky part, the part _I_ can help you with." Katherine raised an eyebrow at her, making a sign with her hand to continue.

"Well, the spirit…_your_ spirit is going to need a body, but it will only recognize yours…and the body must be alive…"

"But…"

"Emily has a spell for that too. She can create an exact replica of you…a doppelganger, but it needs to be carried to term and born…"

"Like a baby you mean? But I can't…vampires can't procreate," Katherine said confused.

"I know, that's my part. I will carry and give birth to the child.

"And what will you get out of this?" the vampire asked.

**End of flash back**

"What did she want?" Elena asked and Damon raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do _you_ think she wanted? A popsicle?"

"She wanted to be…like you…" Elena said softly.

"Yes, Elena; she wanted to be a vampire."

"But why?"

"Because she was obsessed by them; she married your father because she knew he was fighting them, she knew that he was her chance to get in contact to one…and so she did."

"And I'm the…I'm your wife's doppelganger?"

"Yes…and so will your first born child and _its_ first born child and…you know how it goes."

"And the ring…the ring is the object she chose; it's what holds her spirit, right?"

"Bravo! You got it all figured out."

"But you don't _have_ the ring."

"_Yet_, I don't have the ring _yet_. I will find it even if it takes me forever. If I have anything it's time, after all."

"Great; and you're planning on keeping me here until you do?" Elena asked.

Damon ignored her question and walked to his desk; he opened a book and stared at her. Curiosity got the best of her and Elena found herself advancing towards him. She bent over and looked at the open book.

"It's that the ring you're looking for?" she asked.

"Yes…that would be the one."

"It's very…pretty…" Elena said touching the page with the tip of his fingers.

"It's the gemstone that makes it special. It's called Painite and it's very rare," Damon said, his eyes still stuck on the notebook in front of him.

"Oh…" was all Elena managed to say.

"It's not polite to eavesdrop Stefan," Damon said suddenly, turning around just in time to watch Stefan open the door. "Elena, my brother will escort you back to your room now. Good night!" Damon said returning to his chair behind the desk.

"Good night," she mumbled, making her way towards the door. She stopped just a few steps in front of it and turned to face Damon, "thank you for answering my questions and for being honest with me," and with that she got out and watched Stefan close the door behind them.

Four and a half hours later, Elena was in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She just couldn't get that ring out of her head…she was sure she had seen it before. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she remembered where.

**N**: _Hope this chapter meets your expectations and the explanations are clear. If you have any questions, just go for it! Please leave a review to let me know you liked it! _


	11. Chapter 11

**N: Oh, it must be Christmas, cause there's an update. Sorry guys, this story's going a bit slow. You know how, when you're in a hurry to finish something, the words just don't come to you? Well, that's what's happening, I tried to speed things up, because I never intended this story to be too long, but I realized I can't and had to adjust. **

**I hope you still like this story and you're still following it. I'm not going to lie to you, the next chapter will take a while as well since I keep changing my mind, have my exams and as if that wasn't enough, now I'm sick.**

**As always, a big, BIG thank you to my wonderful feta Zoraya Windwalker, for beta-reading this and doing a great job at it!**

**By the edge of death**

"Elena, wake up!"

Elena opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Her heart was beating fast; there's nothing worse than when someone wakes you up in the middle of the night; it's never good news.

"Rose…" Elena mumbled in a weak voice. "What…why are you here?"

"Shhh, they'll hear you!" Rose murmured close to Elena's ear.

"Who will hear me?"

"Vampires, they're here in the house. Damon sent me here to make sure you're safe," Rose explained and Elena's eyes opened wide.

"They're after me, aren't they?"

"Yes…" Rose answered. "There's a tunnel under the house, we can use it to get out. I'll find a car and take you as far away from Mystic Falls as possible."

"What? No, we can't leave Damon…they'll kill him."

"I'll check on him; you stay here and for Gods sake, be quiet!" Rose said and immediately disappeared from the room, leaving Elena alone.

She did as the other woman had told her …for about five minutes. Then she got tired of waiting and made her way towards the living room. As soon as she got close enough, she was able to hear voices and something that sounded like a moan. She took a few steps closer; now she was beside the door and recognized the sound as Damon's cries of pain.

"Look around you Salvatore! There's three of you and five us, not to mention you're tied up to a chair. Now, either you tell me where your pretty little wife is, or I kill your brother and his girlfriend; as for you…I might kill you either way. Where is she?"

"Go to hell!" Damon mumbled.

Elena rolled her eyes at his stubbornness; Damon would die before he let anyone tell him what to do, she was sure of that. The next thing she heard was a sharp scream and Damon yelling something that she made out as 'let her go you son-of-a-bitch!' but she wasn't sure.

Damon was watching powerless as one of the vampires was pushing a wooden stake in Rose's torso; close enough to her heat to make her cry in agony, but not close enough to kill her just yet.

Damon didn't exactly love Rose, but he liked her. She reminded him of himself, before he got turned; more naïve and optimistic, not yet too hardened by the punches fate tended to throw your way. She was funny and caring and she took care of him.

The vampire that was holding Rose looked at Damon and a malicious smile appeared on his face.

"It's either her or your brother, your choice," the vampire said and Damon growled in frustration.

Dammit, he loved his brother; no matter how many times he liked to shout he wishes he were dead, Stefan was the only family he had left.

Roses gazed at Damon…their eyes locked and she nodded towards him before pushing her chest forward, causing the stake to dive all the way through her heart. It took only a few seconds for her body to lose its ivory color and turn a sick shade of gray, the veins standing out in sharp and gruesome relief.

"Looks like the girl made the decision for you; apparently you were too much of a coward to make it yourself."

Damon cursed under his breath and let out a low growl. If he wouldn't have been tied up with vervain-soaked ropes he would've driven a stake through his mouth, down his throat only to pull it out again to shove it through his heart.

The vampire took a few steps closer and lowered himself to Damon's eye-level.

"You're next Salvatore," he said, loud and clear.

Elena's heart was beating like crazy by now. She started to look around in panic, trying to find something useful; anything that could help her.

She decided it was time to make her presence known, so, praying that she knew what she was doing, she bit her lip nervously, took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold into the room.

"I think I'm the one you're looking for," she said, her voice sounding way more confident then she actually felt.

"Katherine…" one of them gasped, making his way towards Elena, but before he got to her, she pulled a thin sword from behind her; she grabbed the edge with both hands and directed the sharp blade towards her chest.

"If any of you moves, I'll push this through and after killing hundreds of vampires over the years, I assure you it will go straight through my heart and kill me. I have a feeling your boss wouldn't appreciate that," Elena said looking around.

Damon looked at Elena; he had that 'what the hell are you doing?' expression painted all over his face and if it weren't for the tragedy of Rose's death and the danger for their lives Elena would have a good laugh about that.

"Well, I'll be damned," the vampire beside Damon said, raising an eyebrow at Elena. "You really expect me to believe you'll kill yourself for…_him_?"

"Oh come on Katherine, you would kill him yourself if that would save you…"

"He is my husband!" Elena shouted.

"So? Don't tell me that being human actually worked and you actually fell in love with this guy?" he asked amused and Elena was speechless for a second. She didn't know Katherine, she had no idea how much she loved Damon…all she knew was that for some twisted reason she wanted to save him.

"Lets not bring the past into this; mistakes were made, innocent blood had been spilled. I love that man more than anything in this world, if he goes, I go," Elena said and Damon thought she deserved an Oscar for her performance; if he didn't know any better, he would've believed her as well.

"If you say so…"

"So, there's how this is going to work. You get your men to untie my husband and his brother; you leave them out of this and I'll go with you."

"Looks like she loves you after all," the vampire told Damon. "Alright Katherine, if you want to play the role of the protective wife, so be it," he mumbled, and then he turned towards the two vampires on his left. "Alex, free them!" he ordered and the young vampire carried out the demand immediately. "Dmitri, Barden, go and prepare the cars…"

"I want to drive," Elena said interrupting him.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're vampires, I'm human…I'm not going to risk anything, I just want to drive."

"Fine; prepare the cars anyway and get rid of the driver,' he said and Elena watched as the Dmitri guy ripped out the other guy's heart, then followed the other one outside. The image almost made her puke her guts out, but she somehow managed to maintain a straight face.

In the meantime, Alex freed Damon and Stefan, but neither of them moved.

"You can lose the big knife, Katherine. I give you my word that no harm will come to the Salvatore brothers from me."

"Why should I trust you?" Elena asked.

"As long as I have you, I have no interest whatsoever in these two, plus, unlike you, I stay true to my promises and I gave you my word; that still means something to me."

"Ok," she said and gave the knife to Alex.

"Come on, we're going!" the leader said and they all got out. As soon as Stefan heard them drive away he rushed to his brother.

"I'm fine, Stefan," Damon shouted and Stefan pulled back. "Just because I didn't let them kill you doesn't mean we're best buds."

"Please, Damon; now it's not the time for you to be stubborn. I want to help you…I want to help you get her back."

"Why? Is it because you want to help your brother get back the woman _he_ loves or is it because you want to get back the woman _you_ love?" Damon asked.

"I'm not in love with Katherine, Damon; I never was in love with her…that was a mistake."

"I'm not talking about Katherine, Stefan."

"You…you're talking about Elena?" Stefan asked surprised.

Damon just nodded and Stefan looked away for a second before returning his attention back to his brother.

"I don't even know her…"

"Oh come on, Stefan! You're taking her three meals a day, you cook for her…"

"I love to cook, I always did," Stefan defended himself.

"You take her to three hour walks in the garden…"

Instinctively Stefan remembered their last walk and the conversation that came with it.

_**Flashback**_

"_So, what's the story with you and your brother?" Elena asked as Stefan and she were slowly advancing towards the rose garden._

"_What do you mean?" Stefan replied. _

"_Well, let's say that, if looks could kill, you two would've killed each other several times by now."_

"_Oh…you got that, did you?"_

"_Yeah, kind of hard to miss," Elena said smiling._

"_Long story – short, I slept with his fiancé,' Stefan answered. His eyes falling to the ground and Elena realized he was ashamed._

"_Katherine?" Elena asked surprised._

"_The one and only…" he let out a sigh before continuing, "…well, she was beautiful; a lot like you in that department," he smiled and his smile made Elena blush slightly. "She was also smart and unpredictable…selfish and spoiled…I didn't really love her, but it was a time when I was obsessed with having her. I didn't care that I was going for something my brother wanted, all I cared about was her…being with her…"_

"_I'm not her," Elena interrupted him._

"_Oh, I know, I didn't see you as her; never did."_

"_Your brother does," Elena whispered._

"_I don't think he does," Stefan said and Elena raised an eyebrow at him, "Elena…" he started hesitant, "…do you…uh… like him?"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_My brother, do you like him?" Stefan asked again as Elena took a seat on a small stone bench. She looked up at him; confusion was written all over her face._

"_He kidnapped me, almost raped me and he IS planning to sacrifice me to bring his wife back from the dead…" she said in a soft, sad voice._

"_That doesn't answer my question," Stefan said._

"_I think it does…"_

_**End**_

"Believe what you want Damon, but you need my help," Stefan ground out, exasperated.

"Fine, you can help me get Elena back. I'll go call the witch."

"Bonnie?"

"No, Harry Potter…man, sometimes I could swear you were adopted…"

**N: So, Elena's been taken away and they think she's Katherine, now Team Salvatore Brothers in action; a new character will make an appearance next chapter to help them. Hope you liked this, review and let me know!**


	12. Chapter 12

**N: Ok, first I'd like to thank all of you that reviewed and I couldn't reply personally, your words really do mean a lot to me.**

**Now, this story was never meant to be too long, I'm guessing 4 to 6 chapters left and I hope I'll be able to finish it before Christmas – good luck to me! Anyway, here's chapter 12, enjoy!**

**Just a little note, the dagger and white ash actually KILL the Original and Klaus's isn't a hybrid, so he can be killed too.**

**Thank you Zoraya Windwalker, you are an amazing beta!**

**Looks can be deceiving**

Elena opened her eyes and a painful headache took her over at full force, making her dizzy for a few seconds. As soon as she recovered she took a good look at her surroundings. She was somewhere dark and humid, like a…_dungeon_. It smelled of mould and wet stones and she could barely see in front of her. There were no windows she could make out, and even though the light was too dim to be sure, she was pretty certain that the door was steel-enforced. _No_ way of getting out that way. '_What__have__you__gotten__yourself__into,__Elena?__' _she asked herself.

Even though her body felt like it was made of stone and every muscle seemed to be numb, she managed to manoeuvre herself in a standing position and continued her inspection.

"They don't trust you much, do they?" a cold, feminine voice reached her from the other side of the door. It was dark, too dark for Elena too see clearly and the person was standing to the right, where her vision couldn't reach.

"Hello," she whispered and she realized that she could barely speak. Her throat was dry and it hurt a little, like after you eat ice-cream too fast and you're left with a razor-sharp pain. "Could I have some water, please!" she said softly, but the other woman started to laugh hysterically.

"Does it look like you're in a restaurant, darling?" she asked.

She finally stepped closer and Elena was able to see her. Not a woman, more like a girl. Same height as Elena, caramel-colored skin and raven black hair falling in waves around her small face; she seemed to be smiling, but Elena could tell it was fake. She was dressed as for the prom, in a pale green, strapless dress that was going in on, all the way to the ground, making her look like 'Mother Nature' or at least like Gaia's daughter.

"As you can see, I was at a party; very nice one I might add. They called me to tell me they have a **human** Katherine and they want me to figure out how you managed to do it. How does one turn from vampire to human really? I've never heard that one before, and I've heard of some pretty weird and creepy things, believe me."

Elena was now sure of two things; first, the girl must've been a witch and second, vampires _didn__'__t_ turn human.

She was still desperately rotating her eyes to find a way out, because that's what she thought of doing. _Keep__your__calm,__Elena!__If__you__lose__your__calm,__you__lose__control__over__your__body._She remembered her father's words. This girl was asking questions there was no way in hell Elena would be able to answer. She turned her head and felt dizzy again. She immediately reached for the wall to support herself.

"You feel like that because they asked me to put you to sleep. It will wear off in a couple of hours, don't worry," the girl whose name Elena still didn't know explained.

"What do you want with me?" Elena asked.

"Me personally? Nothing. I work for Elijah," she answered casually.

"Who's Elijah?"

The girl took a step closer to the cell-door and raised a perfectly coifed eyebrow at Elena, like she was really curious about something.

"You're not Katherine, are you?" the girl asked and Elena could already feel panic overtaking her. She looked around, like she would find answers written on those gray and ugly walls. _That__'__s__it,__they__know__and__they__will__kill__me__and__Damon__…__and__Stefan._Elena thought.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, curious of what gave her away.

"Because if you were Katherine, you wouldn't have asked me who Elijah is."

Elena let out a deep sigh and started thinking about a way out of this mess, but she found none. The girl knew she wasn't Katherine, the game was lost; she's lost.

"Don't tell anyone, please…please!" Elena pleaded.

"Elijah will figure it out sooner or later, that's for sure. You don't even know who he is," the girl protested.

"How do I…know him?"

"Well, you…I mean _Katherine_ was to be married to Klaus, Elijah's baby bro. Katherine was kind of sick and twisted and liked to play games; she cheated on Klaus with Elijah. Just a few days before the wedding, he found out and the brothers turned against each other, that's when she took off and never looked back. Of course, those are rumours, nothing's sure. I don't know how much of it is true although, Elijah confirmed to me that he was involved with Katherine and I know for sure she'd been engaged to Klaus."

"Oh…" was all Elena found fit to say at the moment.

"Pretty messed up, right? Just act like a selfish, manipulative bitch with a high self-preservation instinct and you'll be good…I guess…" she said.

"So you won't tell?" Elena asked hopefully.

"No, but if you get caught, which you probably will, don't see an ally in me, because I'm not!" she clarified.

"Thank you so much…" Elena wanted to call her by her name, but she realized she still had no idea what was it.

"Lucy, Lucy Bennett," she said and Elena smiled.

"Bennett, like Damon's friend…"

"Excuse me? You know anther Bennett witch?" she asked surprised.

"Bonnie, her name's Bonnie Bennett, I remember well, not my favourite person," Elena said, slightly embarrassed that she didn't like one of Lucy's relatives.

"Oh God! She's my cousin, she's the one protecting Katherine's husband."

"I know…"

"Hello ladies," a strong, masculine voice came from behind Lucy. Elena took a deep breath and took a step back from the door. _Showtime!_Elena told herself, praying she was a good enough actress to pull this off.

"Hello, Elijah," she whispered.

"It's been a long time, Kat."

"Not long enough, I'm afraid," she said softly, smiling seductively at the man that just approached the little, barred window in the door, to look at her.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

Damon was pacing nervously from one side of the living room to the other, combing his hand through his hair from time to time and let out a frustrated breath. When he heard a soft knock on the door, he got there in a heartbeat.

He quickly opened it, expecting it to be Bonnie, but it wasn't the young witch standing on his doorstep.

"What the…" he started, but didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Were you expecting someone else, Damon?" the woman asked with a malicious grin on her face.

"Isobel…" Damon mumbled surprised.

"Long time no see. I've heard you got the doppelganger," she took a breath pause, "and you lost **it**, to an original no less. Great job!" she said, the sarcasm heavy in each word, and Damon growled. "Don't worry; I'm here to help you get it back," she winked and Damon raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked.

"Sure," he said and took a few steps backwards to make space for her to pass. She immediately made her way towards the living room, looking around.

"I like what you've done with the place," she said.

"It's exactly the same," he mumbled under his breath. _What__the__hell__was__that__wench_doing_here?_

"I know, I was being sarcastic, I…" she didn't get to finish as Damon interrupted her.

"So, how do you plan on helping me get _your__daughter_ back?" he asked and Isobel scoffed rolling her eyes.

"Don't call it that!" she snapped and Damon found himself with a stunned expression on his face again.

"She _is_ your daughter Isobel," he said waiting for her reaction.

"It never belonged to me, Damon, you know that. Its sole purpose is to bring Katherine back; if we don't, that bitch's going to haunt us from the grave."

"Isobel?" Stefan asked surprised, coming from the kitchen.

"Stefan, you look better than the last time I saw you," she answered smiling, and Damon got to the conclusion that she smiled too much.

"You two know each other?" Damon asked knowing that from what he could remember, Stefan never meat Isobel.

**Flashback**

"_So, what do you want in exchange?" Katherine asked._

_Isobel moved uncomfortable in her chair. She took a deep breath before telling Katherine her price._

"_I want you to turn me!" she finally announced and Katherine smiled._

"_Predictable," she said. "I'll do it on one condition…two actually," she didn't wait for Isobel to affirm or deny, "I want you to remain human and take care of the baby two years after its birth and the other condition is; if it ever comes down to it and I die, you'll help my husband bring me back."_

_Satisfied, Katherine let her body relax against the backrest and crossed her long smooth legs._

_Before Isobel got the chance to think about the vampire's proposal, a young man made its way towards them. His walk was all slow and predatory-like and it made Isobel shiver slightly. He had messy dirty-brown hair and cold, green eyes that were sparkling. There was a cocky grin in the corner of his perfectly contoured mouth that made him look dangerous instead of friendly._

_He walked directly towards Katherine and curled his arm around her shoulders possessively. She crossed her hands around his neck and pulled him into a deep, sensual kiss. His hand tangled in her messy curls and pulled lightly to get better access to her moth. _

_When they finally stopped kissing, even Isobel was breathless._

"_Baby,__this__is__my__new__…_friend_,__Isobel;__Isobel,__Stefan,__" __Katherine__made__the__introductions._

"_The husband I suppose," Isobel assumed._

"_No; his brother," Katherine said like kissing her husband's brother the way she just did was the most natural thing in the world to do._

**End **

"We met at a bar once; a long time ago," Isobel answered. Stefan had suddenly found his shoes extremely captivating and the woman knew he must've been ashamed.

Damon just shrugged and decided not to pay much attention at the non-verbal exchanged between Isobel and his baby brother. After all, he did have way more important matters to attend to.

"Now, back to my question," Damon said and Isobel returned her attention to the elder Salvatore. She stuck her hand in her hand-bag and pulled out what looked like a dagger and a tiny bottle.

"This is the only way to kill an original," she said proudly and Damon stretched his hand to grab it, but Isobel pulled it back from him.

"You can't use it!" she shouted.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll die along with the original if you do. Any vampire that uses this will die along with the victim."

**N: So, Isobel's back and she's going to help the Salvatore brothers get Elena back…or is she? Don't forget to review and make my day! **


	13. Chapter 13

**N: Would you look that, another chapter already. Well, I am trying really hard to finish this before Christmas, so expect another update next week too. Enjoy!**

**Thank you Zoraya Windwalker for beta-reading this, you rock girl!**

**Mistaken identity**

"What is that, exactly?" Damon asked pointing to the object in Isobel's hand. Yeah, it was a dagger, he could see _that_, he wasn't blind, but he wanted to know what made it special.

"It's a silver dagger, spelled by witches. If you dip it into the ashes of a white-ash tree and plunge it into an Original's heart – he dies." She explained pulling out a small jar full of ash.

"How come _you_ have such a weapon?"

"Well…long story short, as soon as the Originals, Elijah particularly, found out Katherine turned me, they took an interest in me. They probably thought I must've been special to pick Kat's attention. I started researching the Originals and everything about them. Even though their secrets are well kept, I found out they're just like any other family…they fight with each other, a lot; and when that happens, they talk."

"So another Original gave you this?" Damon assumed.

"No; another Original, Rebekah to be exact, told me about these weapons, supposedly there are five of them, but I had enough of a hard time even finding _this_ one."

"And she told you about a weapon that can kill her, just like that?" Damon asked in disbelieve.

"Yeah, well, I have nothing against her, I just wanted to stop Klaus, he's actually the one looking for Katherine and for some reason Rebekah seemed to want him dead as well."

"Interesting…"

"So what's the plan?" Stefan asked, coming from the hallway with Bonnie by his side. She was carrying a big, old book and Stefan was carrying about five others.

"What's with all the books, Bonnie? Damon asked.

"My Grams used to collect grimoires, now I have them," Bonnie mumbled. Her grandmother passed away about half a year ago, leaving Bonnie alone in a big house full of old books and ancient artefacts. She'd always been close to her grandmother and it had devastated her when she died, but she had finally moved on; and what better way to honour her than put her favourite books to use, right?

"Great, now we have a little book-worm on our side…" Isobel muttered sarcastically. She took a few steps closer to Bonnie. The young witch raised her hand and in a blink of an eye, Isobel hit the opposite wall, falling to the floor, growling in pain.

"What's your problem lady?" Bonnie asked and Damon smirked.

"Come on ladies now is _not_ the time for a cat-fight. Bonnie," he took the girl's hand in his own, the tender gesture making Stefan move uncomfortable and Bonnie sigh. "Isobel is Elena's mother. She's here to help. According to her, she's in possession of a dagger that can kill an Original," Damon explained.

In the meantime Isobel recovered and made her way towards the group.

"Why didn't you tell me you have a powerful witch looking out for your ass?" Isobel asked and Damon raised an eyebrow at her.

"_I __have __a __powerful __witch __looking __out __for m__y __ass_," he said and Isobel rolled her eyes. "There, now you know. How's that going to change anything?"

"This changes _every_thing, she can hold down the vampires long enough for us to kill them or get the hell out after the Doppelganger daggers Elijah," Isobel said enthusiastically.

"Can you do that?" Damon asked Bonnie; his face illuminated with hope and even if she doubted she could do it, Bonnie smiled and nodded.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

"Did you miss me, Katherine?" Elijah asked and Elena was suddenly in much need of oxygen. She didn't know what to say and she was so scared she could barely breathe, but she refused to give up and tell them who she was. There was that stubborn, stupid need to save _him_.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," he said. To Elena's surprise, he was slightly smiling. "Drink this!" he ordered pushing a small cup through the bars.

"I'm good thanks," Elena murmured. He could be giving her poison for all she knew. Even if Elijah wanted to kill her, she couldn't blame him. He thought she was Katherine; Elena didn't care who that woman was, she didn't care that she didn't actually know her – she just _hated_ her.

"Either you do it, or I'll pour it down your throat myself," he said and even if he was still smiling, Elena could read the menace in his voice and she knew he was being serious.

Elena grabbed the cup with both her hands and raised it to her mouth in slow-motion. It smelled like tea…it _was_ tea, but it could still be poisoned. She thought that by now she got used to the idea of dying, but she actually hadn't. Her heart started beating like a drum in her chest, her palms got awfully sweaty – so much so, that she was afraid she might drop the cup – and her knees felt like they were made of rubber.

She took a small sip and she heard Elijah scoff at her.

"All of it!" was all he said.

She emptied the cup down to the last drop, and then handed the thing back to him. He took it and gave it to Lucy who kept quiet this whole time. He told her to take the cup upstairs and stay away because he needs a moment alone with _Katherine_. Elena swallowed with difficulty at his words, but said nothing.

"So, you're immune to vervain, good to know," he said. Elena knew that vervain was the famous herb harmful to vampires. Of course she'd be immune to it, she was human.

Elijah opened the cell-door, dragged in a chair and took a seat in front of her. He asked for her hand and she complained. I wasn't like she could do anything anyway. He took off her silver ring and took a long look at it.

"Silver," he mumbled and Elena shrugged.

She saw him pull something out of his pocket and the next thing she knew a sharp pain went straight to her head making her lose balance. She cried in pain and looked down at her hand; there was a thin red line in her palm.

"You bleed…and you don't heal…"

"No shit!" Elena snapped, "I know it's been a long while, but humans usually bleed and they heal in time…a _lot_ of time. God, it hurts, why the hell did you do that for?" for a moment there, Elena forgot that she was talking to a very powerful vampire who hated her and could kill her in a blink of an eye…all she could think about was the throbbing pain he caused her.

"How did you manage to make yourself human, Katherine?" he shouted.

"I didn't cut people in the palm of their hands with a knife for starters," she responded.

"Don't play games with me…don't you _fucking_ play with me, Katherine! It won't work this time."

Elena found herself unable to breathe, but physically this time and she certainly couldn't talk as his hand was firmly wrapped around her throat. He had her pressed against the cold, wet wall and his eyes were burning with anger.

As soon as his grip loosened up, she cleared her throat and spoke:

"I'm sorry…you didn't deserve that. I hurt you, I hurt everyone and I can't take it back, if you wish to kill me, please do it fast."

Elijah took a few steps backwards like her words had burned him and his eyes opened wide.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"Kill me fast…please," she repeated.

"No, no, before that…"

"That I'm sorry and I can't take it back…?" Elena murmured unsure.

"You…_you_ are sorry?"

"I…" Elena stopped. What did he want her to say? She was sorry for what Katherine did to him and his brother and everyone else she'd hurt.

"You got remorse along with your heartbeat?" he asked.

"I changed; I'm not the same person I was as a vampire. People change…" she whispered.

"People? You are not 'people' Katherine…"

"I am now."

"How did you do it?"

"A witch…" she knew he would want more than that…a lot more, but she had no idea what to say to him. It wasn't like she knew everything about this world. She just knew what her father had told her over the years.

"Elijah…I'm sorry to disturb you, but…"

"What is it Alex?"

"Miss Flowers is dead…"

"Who did it?"

"Salvatore…"

"I'm going to kill that bastard. Lock the doors!" he ordered and left without a second glance at Elena.

**N: Hope you liked this chapter; in the next one you'll find out if the gang manages to rescue Elena with no losses. Don't forget to review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**N: And there's another update for you nice readers. Action scenes, really _not_ my forte, but I did my best, I really hope it turned out ok; enjoy!**

**Thank you my dear, wonderful beta Zoraya Windwalker!**

**Salvatore, as in 'Savior'**

Elena started pacing in the small cellar. She couldn't believe they came for her; they were risking their lives to rescue her…but then again, Damon was saving her just so he could kill her himself and bring back Katherine…oh how she _hated_ that woman. She seemed to have ruined the lives of many people and yet she had Damon's love and devotion, that wasn't fair, she didn't deserve it.

Her legs soon got tired and she was still dizzy so she decided to stop wasting her energy and rather tried to save it for later because she was sure she would need it. Taking a deep breath, she let her body slump against the cold wall, sunk to the floor and closed her eyes. Damon's image immediately took over. He was there, busting the door and rescuing her. She ran into his arms and he kissed her…telling her how much she meant to him and how much she loved her…_her_, not Katherine.

She was scared, dizzy and hungry…and she just didn't have the force left to deny it anymore, she fell for him. John Gilbert's daughter fell for a vampire, a vampire that kidnapped her and took her away from her friends and family, a vampire that not only did _not_ care about her, but who was planning on killing her to bring his wife back from the dead.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

"Go, I got this!" Stefan yelled at his brother. The vampire didn't take long to recover; he picked himself up from the musty floor and jumped directly at Stefan's throat.

"He is right, Damon, we cannot lose time, we need to find her. I'm pretty sure Elijah will be with her too; we take him down and everyone goes with him," Bonnie said from the doorway. Her big hazel eyes silently begged Damon to follow her.

Damon took another glance at his brother who was now literally riding the other vampire. He seemed to have the upper hand, he had to admit, his brother had always been a natural when it came to fights, but he couldn't help the damn, annoying protective feeling. His eyes flew in Bonnie's direction and he knew…he just knew she wasn't strong enough to keep these vampires down _and_ be ready for Elijah when the time was right. He had to make a choice and he had to make it _now_ and not a moment later.

"Alright, just, for God's sake be careful!" he shouted and followed Bonnie down the stairs.

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" Isobel asked.

"I'm sure, I can sense her fear," the witch answered, rolling her eyes.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

'Big girls don't cry, big girls don't cry' Elena was murmuring to herself when a high pitched sound disturbed her concentration. She rose to her feet and took a few unsure steps towards the door. The calm and silence scared her and she bit her lips nervously. She just wished she knew what was happening. And then she head it…the unmistakable voice from her dreams, deep and sensual like a love song, but cold and menacing like the wind.

"Damon," she whispered.

"Elena," she heard him again and before she had time to ask herself if she was dreaming again, there he was, bursting through the door like she imagined so many times. Only, he didn't run towards her to wrap his arms around her like she so desperately wanted him to. Instead, he stepped away and let a woman that Elena recognized immediately as her mother walk towards her.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Elena snapped. This woman gave birth to her…knowing she would eventually be sacrificed to raise another woman from the dead; she left her when she had only been two years old and ran off to be a damned creature of the night… to say Isobel was the last person Elena wanted to see right now was the understatement of the fucking _century_.

"She's here to help," Damon answered.

"Elena…you…you've grown," Isobel mumbled and Elena let out a mocking laugh.

"Well, see, that's what happens with children in 16 years, they _tend_ to grow. You would've noticed it if you would've been around."

"Now it not the right time for a family reunion," Bonnie yelled, but it was too late. About ten vampires followed by Elijah and Alex rushed in and circled them. Elena looked around and the fear and panic came back to her.

"Damon hurry!" Bonnie yelled before she stretched her hands and started chanting in a language Elena didn't recognize. All the vampires except Damon and Isobel fell to the ground groaning in pain.

"Elena, I need you to use this on Elijah, I'm sure John must've taught you how to stake a vampire…straight in the heart; hurry!" Isobel said, placing the silver dagger in her daughter's hand. Elena's shaky fingers tangled around the cold metal and her big, brown eyes started looking for Damon's sparkly, blue ones. He nodded and Elena bit her bottom lip nervously as she made her way towards Elijah.

Elena dropped to her knees, holding the dagger with both hands for stability and took a deep breath. The tip of the dagger priced Elijah's skin and he let out a low growl. At the sound, Elena immediately pulled back.

"I won't do it, but you have to promise me you won't come after me or the ones I care about again," Elena said in a whisper.

"I… I won't," he mumbled.

"I need you to give me your word."

"I…I…give you…my word…" he managed and Elena let the dagger drop on the stoned floor with a sharp sound.

"Alright then, I'm sorry for what sh…I did to you," Elena said ready to get up, but Elijah stopped her, pulling at her arm.

"You're not…Katherine, are you?" he asked in a weak voice.

"No, I'm not, but I'm sorry anyway." With that she rose to her feet and walked straight towards Damon. Without any hesitation, she grabbed his hand and gave him a light smile. "Take me out of here, please!" she whispered and he nodded again.

Isobel watched them disappear along with Bonnie. The rest of the vampires were still on the floor trying to recover. Fast enough so the human eye could not notice, Isobel picked up the dagger and staked Elijah with it.

"Nothing personal, but I can't take any risks when it comes to my daughter. You see, as long as you and your brother exist, she is in danger. Katherine is not coming back, that I can promise," Isobel said and Elijah's eyes opened wide.

"Klaus…" he murmured.

"He's dead…"

A few seconds later the only thing that was left of them, were two pale, gray corpse.

**Flash back**

_Isobel moved uncomfortable on the old-fashioned, beige couch. Being eight months pregnant was NOT a walk in the park._

"_Here, have some tea; it will make you feel better," Emily said handing her a small red cup._

"_I don't think I can do it, Emily… giving birth to a beautiful girl so that she'd be sacrificed later on…it just…it's not right…" Isobel mumbled and Emily took a seat beside her on the couch._

"_Don't worry, Isobel, your daughter won't be sacrificed," the witch said and Isobel raised an eyebrow at her, ready to ask 'what are you talking about?'_

"_You mean Katherine won't die when she's alive?" the young woman asked._

"_I'm afraid Katharine will die just a few years after the child's birth…I had a vision…call it a premonition if you must give it a name. You see, Damon will most certainly not give up on bringing his beloved wife back, so he will find your daughter, but when the time comes, he won't sacrifice her."_

"_So she won't die?"_

"_I didn't say that; I said she won't be sacrificed."_

"_He will just kill her?"_

"_Not Damon, Elijah. He will realize Elena is not Katherine, but his obsession with her will push him into creating a new one," Emily explained in a sad voice._

**Flashback End **

Damon, Elena and Bonnie made their way towards the exit just to find it blocked by another group of vampires and Stefan barely managing to fight two off.

"Stefan…" Elena called softly and Stefan reacted at the hearing of her voice by turning around. His nose was broken and he had blood all over his face. Elena gasped and squeezed Damon's hand out of reflex.

It was Bonnie who put the vampires down for the second time, but she fell to her knees and blood started pouring from her nose.

"Bonnie!" Damon called.

"Damon…I can't…it's too much…I…I'm sorry…" the young witch whimpered, but she didn't get to finish her sentence as she passed out and the rest of the vampires came rushing towards Elena as soon as they recovered.

Damon stepped protectively in front of Elena and she closed her eyes waiting for the attack, but it never came. When she finally decided it was safe to open her eyes again, the vampires were holding their heads and screaming in pain.

"Well they're not having fun," Elena said and Damon made his way towards two of them, got between them and without much fuss, he extracted their hearts.

"You should go, I won't be able to hold them for long," Elena heard Lucy's voice from behind her. She turned around, mumbled a 'thank you' and reached for Damon's hand. There was blood still on his hands, but Elena didn't care, she just wanted them out of here.

"Wait, Bonnie," Damon said. He picked up the young witch's body and they all got out, followed by Lucy who raised her hand above her head and started chanting. They all watched as the old house crumbled to the ground.

**N: I really hope you enjoyed it and it wasn't too bad. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	15. Chapter 15

**N: Ok, I know I said I'll finish this for Christmas, but I just didn't have the time, so it might take a few days…weeks…to finish this. The good news, only two chapters left, yay! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter.**

**Regarding that this story will be over soon, I started a new AU/AH one called 'Lucky 13' the first two chapters are on if you'd like to read it.**

**As always, thank you Zoraya Windwalker, for beta reading this so fast, you rock girl!**

**Just go with it!**

After the longest bath in history, Elena finally felt fresh and clean again – and was lying wide awake in bed. After about thirty minutes of tossing and turning, she reached for the lamp. She maneuvered herself into a sitting position and buried her face in her hands. Her breath was heavy and uneven and there was something inside of her that wouldn't let her sleep.

She was grateful she was still alive and kicking, but something was missing. Suddenly, Damon's name came through her mind. Yes that was what she was missing; a reaction from him. Did he really not care about _her_ – Elena Gilbert – at all? That couldn't be true; she noticed the way he was looking at her, the way his blue eyes kept wandering over her body, making it warm up under his intense gaze.

Yes, that was the thing keeping Elena awake. She managed to fall in love with Damon Salvatore and she had this undeniable urge to do something about it.

Taking a deep breath she rose from the bed and rushed into the bathroom. She stripped off her comfy, oversized pajamas, leaving only her underwear on and wrapped a silky robe around her tiny frame. She brushed her hair and let it fall in big chocolate-brown waves around her head. She put on just a tiny bit of peach-flavoured lip-gloss that made her lips look fuller.

Careful to make as little noise as possible, she slipped out of her room and made her way towards Damon's. The door was slightly ajar and she thanked God she wouldn't have to turn the door-handle and wake him. As soon as she was inside, Elena's eyes flew over to the bed, lingering on the sleeping man in it. She took a few unsure steps ahead and stopped for a few minutes to take him in. He was even more beautiful asleep, although she couldn't see the breathtaking color of his eyes.

Elena pulled at the thin cords of her robe and the material glided open easily, revealing her body to the delicate light of the moon. She let it fall to the floor and slipped under the covers beside Damon.

Damon had been awake for a while; actually, he hadn't been asleep in the first place. He heard Elena even since she got out of her room; he heard her soft breathing and her shy steps and he definitely heard her robe fall to the floor a second ago. His dick immediately reacted at the feeling of her weight in his bed and the warmth radiating off of her body and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

This was crazy, he loved _Katherine_…he had to, she was his wife... but why did he feel like sacrificing Elena to bring back Katherine was a price too high to pay? What was with that throbbing pain in his chest every time he was thinking about something happening to her? Why the urge to protect her and shield her from everything that might hurt her.

A few moments later, he felt Elena's body slightly pushing against his and his eyes opened wide as soon as he figured she was lying beside him, in his bed, wearing only her underwear. He turned to face her and the lust in her eyes had him speechless for a while.

"Elena…" he finally muttered.

"Shhh," she placed her index finger on Damon's lips before he got the chance to say anything, they were so soft, it made Elena shiver slightly. "I know you love Katherine, but you want me. There's something between us and you know it. All I ask of you is this night…_one_ night," she said in a whisper. Damon nodded slightly and cupped her cheek, stroking it gently before burying his fingers into the silky waves of her hair, pulling her into a rough, sensual kiss.

Elena didn't remember being kissed like that ever in her whole life – not that she had gotten the chance to live much. His lips felt soft but firm against hers and the tip of his tongue was going up and down her bottom lip. Soon Elena's mouth opened and wasted no time to explore every little corner of it.

His hands were now wandering all over her body and Elena could feel herself getting wet. Damon's mouth left hers to leave a wet, burning trail along her slim neck and she moaned softly. He took off her bra with so little effort that Elena started questioning having it in the first place. A soft growl escaped his throat as his hand palmed one of her full breasts.

"Ohhh…" Elena moaned as Damon's tongue dipped into her collarbone before moving lower and closing over her erect nipple.

Soon he decided that he had showed enough attention to her breasts at the moment – the smell of her arousal was already thick in the air. His mouth dared to go lower now; down over her stomach and even lower, while his hands stripped her of her last piece of clothing. Elena shivered slightly and as soon as she recovered, she slipped her hand between their bodies to take off Damon's boxers.

Elena's hips levitated from the mattress as Damon's fingers started stroking her insides.

"You're all wet baby," he murmured and Elena wondered for a second if he was pretending he was actually with Katherine and not her. She wondered if all those sensual and tender caresses, the erotic and passionate kisses and the sexy moans were for her or for the woman he chose to spend eternity with. Her thoughts were interrupted when Damon pulled away from her like he just discovered she carried a deathly disease. "You're… Elena…why didn't you tell me this is your first time?" he asked.

"What difference does it make?" she returned.

"I'll be your first…" he whispered, more to himself then to her.

"And my last considering that you are planning on killing me," Elena answered.

"It will hurt…" he murmured and Elena had trouble understanding what the big deal was. Yes he would be her first, yes it will hurt…she already knew that, she wanted it nonetheless.

"I know it will hurt, I can take the pain Damon; I'm a big girl. As in for you being my first, I want you to be."

"Are you sure?" he asked and his hands started caressing her body again. This time he was doing it even gentler.

"Yes…please, don't stop!" she urged and he smirked.

Damon penetrated her slowly, asking her if she was ok every ten seconds. Once he was all in, he waited for a few moments to allow her body to adjust to his size before slowly rocking back and forth.

"Oh God…if feels good…don…don't stop!"

"You're so damn tight, are you sure it doesn't hurt?" he asked and Elena wanted to answer, but the only sound that came out of her mouth was a long moan – and not of the painful variety. Her nails dug into his back and she wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him closer. That was enough to make Damon lose control. He started thrusting inside her deep and fast, enjoying the sounds coming from her throat.

"Elena…" Damon chanted as he came and Elena followed him a second later.

They both fell into a deep sleep.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

When Damon woke up a few hours later, he was alone in the bed. He rushed into the kitchen and made coffee. He wasn't the one to drink coffee, but Elena was. After he was done he took an apple from the table and went into Elena's room.

He pushed the door open and looked around, the room was completely empty, the door to the bathroom was wide open and he could see she wasn't there either. She did it, she finally did it; she ran away. So, was last night just a distraction?

**N: Finally…right? Hope you liked it, let me know by leaving a little – or big – review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**N: I'm sorry for the log wait guys. Well, there will be one more chapter after this and that's it with this story…my first AU…enjoy!**

**My regular beta was unable to proofread this 9get well soon baby girl!), so thank you so much Dez2sweet for looking over it!**

**It's hard to let go**

"Daddy," Elena whispered; her voice broke and she started crying like a baby. She usually avoided crying because most of the time it wouldn't solve anything and it made her look like a fool, but now she just feel like it.

"Elena, is that you?" John asked. He was staring at the tiny frame in the doorway of his study. He just couldn't bring himself to believe she was actually there; his baby girl had returned home.

After he found out she'd been kidnapped, he turned the town upside down, but no sign of her. It was like the earth opened and swallowed her whole. Tyler disappeared as well. Everyone was saying he died trying to protect his daughter, but he doubted he was really dead. He was probably somewhere hiding and if he was smart he wouldn't get out or John will most certainly kill him with his bare hands.

"Oh, dad, I missed you so much," she ran in his arms and held onto him for dear life. He started petting her head softly, murmuring kind and reassuring words into her ear.

"You're home…you're really home. My baby girl's home," he murmured.

She cried for what seemed like hours in her father's arms. Only when Elena let go of him he noticed the girl standing in the hall outside the chamber.

"Dad, this is Lucy, she drove me home," Elena explained and Lucy waved her hand shyly.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

"What do you mean you don't know? She was with you, Bonnie," Damon shouted. His patience was long gone and he was trying his best not to do something he'll regret later.

"We didn't sleep in the same bed Damon," Bonnie fired back.

"What happened?" Stefan asked entering the house.

"Where the hell have you been?" Damon snapped.

"Out, what's wrong?"

"Elena escaped," Bonnie said casually. "And Mr. 'I was too busy screwing her to notice' decided to blame me," she continued rolling her eyes.

"You slept with her?" Stefan asked. Later he realized he asked the wrong question.

"I don't see how that is any of your business, brother. The important part is that she's gone and so is 'Lucy' the new witch."

"Well…I suppose she's home by now," Stefan said making his way in the living room. He took a seat on the couch and shrugged. "I say you'll find her there. We can go tomorrow."

"Are you stupid? She's John Gilbert's daughter. We can't just walk in there and grab her."

"You made a plan once, you can do it again."

"We need a plan. Knowing Dear John, she will be protected 24/7 from now on. I'm thinking strike where they won't expect."

"Sounds like an idea."

***John Gilbert's daughter***

Elena woke up and took a quick glance at the clock on her bedside table. It was ten minutes after one in the morning. She was pretty sure his father was already asleep and everyone else in the house along with him.

She made her way towards his father's study and turned on the tiny lamp on the desk.

After she took what she went there for, she went back to her chamber.

In the morning she had breakfast with Lucy and Caroline. She had missed the joyful blonde.

"I have to go out, but I'll be home before dinner, I promise. Felix and Jake are here if you need anything," John pointed towards the two men in the hallway. Elena knew they were there to assure her security, she also knew they were werewolves and she knew they won't be able to stop her plan.

"Sure dad, no problem," she walked over and placed a kiss on his cheek, giving him a big hug. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too baby girl. I'm so happy you're home, we'll talk about what happened when I come back, alright?"

"Yes father."

Of course John started asking her a million questions like: 'who kidnapped her?' 'Why?' 'Did they hurt her?' 'Where did they take her?' But Elena told him she's too tired and they will talk about it later.

An hour and a half later Caroline left for school and Elena took a long nap. She woke up, enjoyed a bubble bath, drinking her favorite Chardonnay. She ate a small sandwich and made her way towards the entrance wall.

"Are you sure that won't hurt them?" Elena asked and Lucy nodded.

"I'm sure."

"Ok, go on!"

Lucy started chanting something in a language Elena didn't understand and both men outside the door fell to the ground.

"We can go, they won't wake up for at least an hour," Lucy announced.

"Perfect," she ran in her father's study placed the immaculate white envelope on the desk, where she knew he will see it. She took her hand bag and got out. She stopped outside and took one last look at the house she grew up in; the house she will never see again and got in the passenger seat of Lucy's car.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

"Where did you put the wolfsbane grenades?" Stefan asked and Damon pointed towards a black bag on a chair in the living room. "Are you sure they work?"

"Yes," Damon answered simply. Of course he was sure they worked, he made them himself. He wasn't stupid, he checked; they definitely worked. He also had brought silver bullets, just in case he'll need them. With all these, he still had a bad feeling. His gut was telling him he shouldn't go to the Gilbert's house, but he had to get her back; he just had to.

"Are you sure about this?" Stefan asked carefully.

"No; stop asking me!"

***John Gilbert's daughter***

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's a long story," Elena answered

"We're almost there. I'll drop you off."

"Thank you Lucy, you didn't have to and still, you helped me so much…thank you," Elena said sincerely. She knew there was something about this girl; she liked her from the first moment she saw her for a reason and now she was proved right. She was one of those people that would help you because they can and not because they want something in exchange.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

"Come on Stefan, I want to get there before ten," Damon yelled after his brother. Just as Stefan descended the stairs, Damon picked up the sound of a car approaching the house drive way. He heard the door open and close. He also heard the shy steps and the knock on the door.

Damon rushed over and opened the door. He would've had a heart attack if he wasn't already dead. Elena was standing in his doorsteps…she actually came back of her own free will.

"Can I come in?" she asked and he stepped aside without a word. She passed beside him and made her way towards the living room. Damon, Stefan, and Bonnie followed her there.

Elena took a deep breath, she reached inside her purse and took out a tiny object; she walked over directly to Damon and placed the object in his hand.

"It was in my father's vault," she murmured. Damon looked down to find Katherine's ring in the palm of his hand. There it was, after all those years looking for it. "You can use it, I'm ready."

"What?" Damon asked confused.

"I went to get the ring for you Damon so you can bring your wife back."

"But why? Why would you do that?"

"Because I love you," Elena answered calmly. "Yes, looks like I managed to fall in love with you, Damon. I want you to be happy, even if that means I have to die so you can get your wife back."

**N: Hope you liked it, review and let me know.**


	17. Chapter 17

**N: So, I finally made some time, forgot all about my other stories and finished this. I really hope you will like it and you will leave me one last review. Thank you to all of you who reviewed this and I couldn't answer personally.**

**Thank you Dez2sweet, you are sweet for doing this so fast for me?**

**Last one standing**

"Is there anything special I have to do?" Elena asked as she was brushing her hair. She put the brush on the small table and turned around to face the other woman.

"No," Bonnie answered. "I make a circle, you step in it, I say the first part of the spell, I put the ring on your finger and after I finish the spell, you'll be…"

"Dead…" Elena offered with an ironic smile. "So, I don't have to do anything?" she asked again, just to be sure.

"Just be there."

"Could I…have a moment by myself, please?" Elena whispered and Bonnie nodded. She took her book and got out of the room, leaving Elena alone.

She was shaking so hard that she could barely hold the picture in her hand. It was a picture of her father when he taught her how to skate. She remembered falling over a dozen times, but still, that day had been the happiest day from her whole childhood. Also that day had been the only one John had spent it with her from start to finish. They went shopping in the morning, skating in the evening, and they ate at her favorite restaurant. She was 11 years old and the world was all about clothes, food and school. How it all changed…how she had changed.

Letting out a deep breath, she placed the photo on the slam table and looked at herself in the mirror. The make-up was flawless. She made it like that so Damon would like it. Seeing his wife for the first time in years will be a big event that he will remember forever…literally. She saw a few pictures of Katherine and copied her make-up. Also she noticed that she was wearing her hair curled so she did that as well. She chose a strapless blue dress, pretty much just because the color reminded her of his breathtaking eyes.

There was a soft knock on the door and she jumped in her seat. She took a deep breath before shouting 'come on in, it's not locked!' to the person on the other side.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Stefan asked making his way towards her. Only when he was a few feet away she noticed that he was holding a tray in his hands. He placed in the table in front of her.

"Nervous," she answered. "What is this?" she asked confused.

"Remember your 3rd day here?"

"What about it?"

"I gave you a piece of tiramisu and told you it's my favorite desert and you said you'll kill for a piece of cheesecake. I thought you might like some."

He opened the white container and Elena's eyes opened wide at the huge piece of cheesecake in front of her – strawberry-cheesecake. To be honest she didn't feel like eating, but she couldn't die without having one last piece of her favorite desert.

She grabbed the fork from the tray and took a big portion of the creamy cake in her mouth. It was too good for words.

"Did you make it?" she asked.

"Yes, do you like it?"

"Are you kidding me, it might be the best I've ever had," she said sincerely.

She liked Stefan. He was nice and polite and he was the one that took care of her for all the time she'd been kept prisoner. Sometimes she wished she would've fell in love with him instead of Damon, maybe than she would've stood a chance to actually get what she wanted.

"I'm glad," he said.

"Thank you, Stefan. Not just for the cake, for everything, I know I didn't make it easy for you and I was a pain, but…I was just scared and lost. I was used to getting what I want and the fact that I couldn't get back my freedom made me act like a bitch to you."

"Don't worry about it. It's not like I'm a saint…"

"Are you ready?" Bonnie asked pushing the door open.

"Yes," she said in a confident voice. Actually on the inside she was freaking out, but she kept it for herself. It's not like someone cared.

"Elena," Stefan called before she got the chance to step out of the room. "You look beautiful," he said and she smiled.

***John Gilbert's daughter***

"Be honest with me, would it hurt?" she asked and Bonnie shook her head.

"No. I'm not hurting your body so it's not going to hurt," she explained and Elena nodded as she stepped into the circle made from lighted candles.

Damon was watching them from the end of the hall. His head was pounding from the confusion. The fact was that, he had a small shock when he saw her come into the room. For a second he could swear she was Katherine. Smoky eyes, perfect curls caressing her shoulders and back, but then his eyes found hers and she wasn't Katherine. The confusion came by the time he realized he likes her better with barely any make-up on and her hair smooth and straight. He was actually scared for a moment that Katharine's back, Elena's gone and he didn't get to see her one last time.

She stepped into the circle and Damon could hear her heart beating faster. He still couldn't believe her choice to do this for him, to die so he could be happy. He wondered if Katherine would ever do that for him. Too bad he already knew the answer to that question and it wasn't positive. Bonnie started yammering something Damon recognized as a mix of Latin and Persian.

A soft wind made its way inside to play in Elena's hair and reveal her slim neck. He remembered kissing that neck and nibbling at her pulse point until she cried out his name. She gave herself to him so completely, with any hesitation. She held onto him and moaned for him, arching her back against the mattress to get closer to him. She trembled in his arms as he made her reach her sweet release and he loved the feeling of her inner muscles tighten around his length.

Bonnie closed the book and put it on the table. She grabbed a small knife and made a small cut on Elena's fingertip.

"The ring must touch fresh blood,' she explained taking the ring and placing it on Elena's trembling finger. Elena took a quick peek at the ring on her finger and smiled. It was a beautiful and unique ring, she kind of liked it.

The young witch grabbed the book again and flipped the page.

"Nice to have met you, Elena," she said taking a deep breath.

"Wait, Bonnie, wait!" Elena heard Damon's voice close to her and opened her eyes. She watched as Damon took the book from her and placed it back on the table. He stepped in front of her and offered his hand. She took it and walked out from the circle.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she answered with a shy smile.

Damon took off the ring from her finger and looked at it for what seemed like hours to Elena.

"This ring doesn't suit you, I think you look amazingly beautiful when you're wearing less make-up and I adore your hair when it's straight. This dress looks stunning on you. You told me you love me and I think I want to keep you around for a white to see if you meant it. I didn't realize this until a few minutes ago when you walked in and you looked exactly like Katherine. I realized that it's not what I want, not anymore. What I wanted was you; your sarcasm, your twisted sense of humor, your passion and courage, your devotion and kindness. I realized that not only I don't want my wife back, but I want _you_."

"Damon…" she whispered. Big, sparkling tears were painting her face a second later. "I was ready to die for you, you know I meant it when I said I love you…you know that, right?"

"I do."

"Do you think you'll be able to love me one day?"

"I think I already started to… I think it happened in the car when I was driving you here. That's why I was so cranky and that's why I was trying so hard to avoid you. I was trying to hate you so I won't want you so damn much. I tried to tell myself that it's all because you look like her, but it's not, it never was…"

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I am," he said and his lips fell on hers to kiss all her fears away.

**N: Don't forget to leave me your thoughts.**


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